In 13 hours and 10 minutes, a 13-year-old girl with autism swam 29 kms across Palk Strait which connects India and Sri Lanka.
Maharashtra-based Jiya Rai commenced her swimming at 4.22 in the early morning on March 20 at Talaimannar (Sri Lanka) and finished at Dhanushkodi(India) at 5.32 pm on the same day. The event was conducted and guided by the Para Swimming Federation of India (PSFI).
Tamil Nadu’s DGP Sylendra Babu, who received Rai, said that the stretch is filled with water snakes, jellyfish and rapidly changing currents that it takes 3-4 hours sometimes to just swim a kilometre. “There are several such dangers here. This takes a lot of willpower,” said Babu. The Srilankan Navy provided the search and rescue cover in the Lankan waters while the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard provided the same for the country’s maritime boundaries.
Rai was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when she was 2-years-old. She was the youngest and the first girl with autism to swim from Worli Sea Link to Gateway of India, a distance of 36 kilometres, in February 2021. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took note of it and appreciated her during his “Mann Ki Baat” show, said her parents.
A few months after she was diagnosed, her doctor believed that her repetitive characteristic of knocking could be tackled using water as therapy. “The water therapy worked wonders. Jiya seemed comfortable and developed a passion for swimming,” said her father and Navy officer Madan Rai. “Nurturing this passion to help her prepare for competition required lots of dedication and hard work from parents. Unlike other children, training an autistic child and making her understand the abstract concept of competition is a herculean task for the parents. Although Jiya was quick to grasp the technical aspects of swimming, it required a lot of conditioning for her to understand the sea current as well as simple things like the concept of a start line that has to be replaced by a whistle. But Jiya’s determination and her parents’ hard work made her win many accolades.”
{{/usCountry}}A few months after she was diagnosed, her doctor believed that her repetitive characteristic of knocking could be tackled using water as therapy. “The water therapy worked wonders. Jiya seemed comfortable and developed a passion for swimming,” said her father and Navy officer Madan Rai. “Nurturing this passion to help her prepare for competition required lots of dedication and hard work from parents. Unlike other children, training an autistic child and making her understand the abstract concept of competition is a herculean task for the parents. Although Jiya was quick to grasp the technical aspects of swimming, it required a lot of conditioning for her to understand the sea current as well as simple things like the concept of a start line that has to be replaced by a whistle. But Jiya’s determination and her parents’ hard work made her win many accolades.”
{{/usCountry}}Her father added that Jiya has become the youngest and fastest female swimmer in the world to swim the Palk Strait and that the previous record was held by Bhula Chowdhary who swam in 13 hours 52 minutes in 2004. Jiya Rai is on a mission to become the first and youngest para swimmer of the world to swim seven oceans in the entire continent.