Jiya Rai, a 16-year-old girl with autism, has made history by swimming across the English Channel, becoming the youngest and fastest para swimmer to achieve this solo feat. She completed the 34 km swim in just 17 hours and 25 minutes.
She started her swim on July 28 from Abbotts Cliff in England and reached the other side at Pte De La Courte-Dune in France early on July 29. This makes her the first girl with autism to swim across the English Channel in its 150-year history. Her swim was dedicated to raising awareness for autism.
The English Channel is known for being very tough to swim across because of its strong currents, cold water temperatures (around 18°C in July), and hazards like jellyfish and debris. The Channel is also a busy shipping lane with over 600 boats passing through every day. Swimmers must follow strict rules, including not touching the support boat or anyone with it, and receiving food and drinks from the boat crew using a long stick.
According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB) press release, “More people have scaled Mount Everest than swim across the English Channel. In the last 100 years, only about 1,700 people have swum across the English Channel.”
Jiya Rai’s achievement highlights her incredible determination and her commitment to promoting autism awareness.
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Source: The Economic Times
