Stephen Ellison

Nine-Year-Old Boy Who Swam Alcatraz to Perform at Ringling Bros. in San Jose

A 9-year-old Los Banos, Calif., boy who swam to Alcatraz and back in June has been invited as the featured guest at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey show at the SAP Center in San Jose this week.

"I think it's kind of cool," James Savage said in a statement before he gets to lead the countdown before the new production, entitled, "Out of This World," which kicks off on Thursday at 7 p.m.

James completed the 3-mile “touch-and-go” swim from the San Francisco Aquatic Park to Alcatraz Island on June 14 in a little more than two hours. The swim may be counted by the Guinness World Records as the youngest person to accomplish the feat, but confirmation is still pending approval, according to James’ mother, Jillian Savage. 

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