ALAPPUZHA: T D Baburaj of Kuttanad in Kerala has bagged the Asian record in marathon swimming for the differently-abled. The 51-year-old set the record after he swam 10 km in Vembanad lake from Kumarakom to Muhamma. The Universal Record Forum (URF), Asian Records, has declared his record in marathon swimming set on August 18, 2015. He swam in the widest part of the lake in three hours.
Baburaj, an LIC agent, had launched his swimming career in school. About 25 years ago in Patiala, he won a bronze at the national level in the general category. At 12, he met with an accident and lost strength in his left hand below the elbow. That didn’t put a damper on his dreams. “With that hand, I participated in many national and international events,” Baburaj said. As per medical records, he has contested in the disabled category with 40 per cent disability. His son Sivashankar is an international athlete in canoeing and kayaking and daughter Uma Shankar is a swimmer.