VIJAYAWADA: Six teenagers from Andhra Pradesh braved extreme challenges in the sea to accomplish their mission of crossing the formidable 29 km-long Palk Strait between Sri Lanka and India on Saturday.
Kola Baby Spandana, 18, of Kakinada, Kalavakollu Johnson, 16, Piduru Sri Gowthama Pranav Rahul, 18, Kalavakollu King George, 16, and Terli Sathvik, 15, of Vijayawada, and Bontha Alamkruthi, 13, of Guntur finished the expedition in nine hours, 28 minutes and seven seconds, clocking a new record.
Interestingly, the 13-year-old girl Bontha Alamkruthi became the youngest person to cross the Palk Strait in nine hours and 28 minutes, breaking the record of a 13-year-old girl from Mumbai Jiya Rai (13 hours and 10 minutes). Krishna district aquatic association secretary Ramesh said the six children started swimming at 1 am and finished at 10.28 am on Saturday.
Fastest in the world
“By finishing the complete Palk Strait stretch of 29km in nine hours, 28 minutes and seven seconds, Alamkruthi and Spandana became the fastest to do so in the world,” he said. The swimmers have been trained by adventurous swimmer Tulasi Chaitanya, a head constable working in Vijayawada. “All the swimmers have won medals in swimming competitions in the past and the Palk Strait is another feather in their cap. Both Madurai Aquatic Association and Krishna District Aquatic Association observed the complete expedition and awarded the medals,” Ramesh said. Speaking to Express, coach Chaitanya expressed his happiness and thanked AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and DGP Kasireddy V Rajendranath Reddy for supporting him and his team.