Feb.26 - Two Chinese swimmers successfully bridged New Zealand's stormy Cook Strait in just over eight hours on Sunday.

Xinhua News Agency reported 20 year old Zhang Jie and 23 year old Wei Gang completed the difficult 30 kilometer swim in exactly eight hours and five minutes, despite the high waves.

Both athletes belong to a team led by Zhang Jian, a famous open water swimmer who crossed the English Channel and the Bering Strait in 2001.

The team plans to tackle¹ the Bering Strait, the Red Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar and the Panama Canal next to promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics.