Record Feat By 13-Year-Old, Autistic Swimmer Jiya Rai
Anukriti is a student who dabbles in writing when she finds time.
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By Anukriti Roy
First publised on 2022-03-22 12:10:00
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Anukriti is a student who dabbles in writing when she finds time.
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A 13-year-old girl, daughter of an Indian Navy sailor, suffering from autism, has become the youngest and the fastest swimmer to cross the 29-km distance between the coasts of India and Sri Lanka. Jiya Rai, who won the Pradhan Matri Rashtriya Bal Purashkar in January this year, did it in 13 hours and 10 minutes to break champion swimmer Bula Choudhary's 18-year-old record that stood at 13 hours and 52 minutes. It needs to be noted that Choudhary did it when she was 34 years old.
After receiving a delayed permission from both India and Sri Lanka due to adverse weather conditions (a cyclone had hit Bay of Bengal with wind speeds over 49kmph), the young Jiya battled the weather to complete the feat in record time. Her progress was monitored by the Sri Lankan Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.
At this young age and despite her developmental disability, Jiya is already an accomplished swimmer, having won 24 gold medals in national and state swimming and open water sea swimming competitions. Her proud father Madan Rai informed that although Jiya takes time to grasp things but once she does, she is committed to it. In February 2020, she had swum the 14km distance between Elephanta Islands and Gateway of India in 3 hours 27 minutes 30 seconds to set a world record.
Jiya's achievement shows that people with talent, ambition and grit can overcome their disabilities to do, and do better, what others who are considered normal can do. It also shows that once you set your sights on a goal, gender does not matter and age is just a number. The 13-year-old Jiya is set for greater heights and she is now going to aim for an Olympic medal. With her obvious talent and the willingness to work hard for her goals, one is sure that with the right training and exposure in international competitions, Jiya will achieve that.
