Gaurvi Singhvi achieved this feat, swimming the distance of 40 kms, from Samphire Hoe beach in southeast England to Cape Gris Nez in northern France, in 13 hours and 28 minutes on August 23.
Gaurvi Singhvi
Udaipur's Gaurvi Singhvi, 16, became the youngest Indian open water swimmer to cross the English Channel recently. She achieved this feat, swimming the distance of 40 kms, from Samphire Hoe beach in southeast England to Cape Gris Nez in northern France, in 13 hours and 28 minutes on August 23.
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"Crossing the English Channel is one of the toughest challenges for any swimmer. I've been preparing for it for over two years. Though I was confident that I had the stamina, the mental challenge is bigger," Gaurvi said at the Mumbai Press Club yesterday.
"The failure rate is around 40 per cent. I had to swim for around five to six hours in the dark. The first part of the swim is not tough but in the second, as jellyfish start coming up, it's tougher and you also start feeling tired and hungry," added Gaurvi, who has collected an impressive 43 gold, 19 silver and five bronze medals at state swimming championships over the years. Gaurvi also set a new national record by swimming 48 kms in the Arabian Sea (from Juhu to the Gateway of India) in nine hours and 22 minutes last year.
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