This time, neither storm, jellyfish, nausea, nor utter fatigue could keep 64-year-old endurance swimmer Diana Nyad from achieving her lifelong ambition of conquering the Straits of Florida.

Nyad today became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, willing her way to a Key West beach just before 2 p.m. ET., nearly 53 hours after jumping into the ocean in Havana for her fifth try in 35 years. 

After swimming more than 100 miles in open seas, Diana had three things to say at the finish line: "One is we should never, ever give up. Two is you never are too old to chase your dreams. Three is it looks like a solitary sport, but it's a team."

(WATCH the video below or READ the story from CNN)