A new world record has been set by a woman from the US, who swam across the English Channel four times non-stop. 

Sarah Thomas completed the feat in 54 hours and 10 minutes, beating a previous record of three crossings.

The distance of the swim was supposed to be about 130 kilometers, but strong currents and tides meant Thomas ended up swimming about 210 kilometers. 

Thomas, who is recovering from cancer, completed the feat at Dover, UK in the early hours of the morning. 

A member of her support team said Thomas, 37, has "used the swimming as her means of coping with the treatment," which she finished last year. 

She completed her first outdoor swimming event in 2007 and swam the Channel for the first time in 2012 and again in 2016. 

Only four other people have previously swum across the channel three times without a break. 

The first recorded person to swim the English Channel was Matthew Webb in 1875, the crossing took him just under 22 hours.