India’s leading open water long distance swimmer Prabhat Koli, a 23-year-old boy from Mumbai, has become the world’s youngest athlete to complete the gruelling Oceans Seven marathon swimming challenge.
He has joined the exclusive club of only 21 other swimmers to achieve the extraordinary feat after he swam the 22.5 km Cook Strait in New Zealand on Wednesday in a timing of 8 hours and 41 minutes in bad weather.
His accomplishment has been recognised by the World Open Water Swimming Association and the Marathon Swimmers Federation.
The Oceans Seven is a marathon swimming challenge consisting of the following seven channel swims:
- English Channel – 33 km (20.5 miles) between England and France
- Catalina Channel – 32.3 km (20 miles) between Catalina Island and the California mainland
- Strait of Gibraltar – 14.4 km (9 miles) between Spain and Morocco
- North Channel – 34.5 km (21.4 miles) between Ireland and Scotland
- Kaiwi Channel – 42 km (26 miles) between Molokai and Oahu
- Cook Strait – 22.5 km (14 miles) between the North and South Island of New Zealand
- Tsugaru Strait – 19.5 km (12.1 miles) between Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan
