History Created! India’s Satender Lohiya Becomes Asia’s 1st Para-Swimmer To Cross Cook Strait

In a historic achievement for India, Satendra Singh Lohiya has become the first Asian para-swimmer to cross the treacherous Cook Strait in New Zealand successfully. Battling strong currents, icy waters, and unpredictable weather conditions, Lohiya’s feat marks a major milestone in open-water swimming and para-sports, putting India on the global map once again.

Para Swimmer Satendra Singh Lohiya Creates History!

On February 12, Madhya Pradesh’s para-swimmer Satendra Singh Lohiya became the first Asian to cross the Cook Strait in New Zealand. According to News18, he covered the 23.6km distance of the Cook Strait in New Zealand in nine hours and 22 minutes. He reached New Zealand in January and began extensive training in the extremely cold waters for this attempt.

“Historic Achievement — Cook Strait New Zealand Victory. One of the world’s most challenging sea routes, the Cook Strait, New Zealand, after successfully crossing it with my team, today I feel deeply emotional and immensely proud….for the first time in Asia, a differently-abled swimmer has crossed the Cook Strait,” he took to social media to announce.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav congratulated Satendra Singh Lohiya. He took to X and wrote, “Padma Shri and Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awardee, Madhya Pradesh’s international para swimmer Shri @SatendraSLohiya, has created history by successfully crossing New Zealand’s Cook Strait, one of the toughest sea channels in the world.”

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All You Need To Know About This

Satendra Singh Lohiya lost the use of his legs in infancy due to a lack of proper treatment for diarrhoea. He began his open-water sea swimming journey in 2017 and quickly made his mark. In 2018, he crossed the English Channel as part of an Indian para-swimming team, completing the 34-km stretch in 12 hours and 26 minutes.

In 2022, he won a gold medal in 100m backstroke at the National Paralympic swimming championship. So far, he has participated in 11 National Paralympics swimming championships and clinched 23 medals, including four Gold, 12 silver and seven bronze medals, NDTV reported.

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Congratulations to Satendra Singh Lohiya on this incredible achievement! Crossing the Cook Strait is no small feat, and this historic milestone has made the entire nation immensely proud.

Cover Image Courtesy: X/@PCI_IN_Official