MADURAI: Six young athletes from Andhra Pradesh, including two girls, swam the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka on Friday in nine hours and 27 minutes. This is the first time a team has crossed Palk Strait as previously it was individuals who did it.They covered 18 nautical miles (30km) between Talaimannar in Sri Lanka and Dhanushkodi in India, regarded as a tough stretch.
The swimmers, Kola Baby Spandana, 19, Bontha Alamkruthi, 13, Kalavakollu Johnson, 16, Pidurusri Gowthama Pranav Rahul, 18, Kalavakollu King George, 16, and Terli Sathvik, 15, hail from Vijayawada, Guntur and East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. They undertook the feat after applying for permission from the external ministries of India and Sri Lanka.
The swimmers along with their trainer Tulasi Chaitanya left for Talaimannar from Rameswaram fishing harbour on April 21. The six youngsters started swimming from Talaimannar at 1am on Saturday and reached Arichalmunai in Dhanushkodi at 10.27am, taking 9.27 hours. They were received at Arichalmunai by Rameswaram municipal corporation president Nasar Khan and fishermen’s representatives.
It was in 1994 that R Kutraleeswaran undertook the first such expedition across the stretch at the age of 12. R Jai Jaswanth, 10, from Theni, Jiya Rai, 13, from Mumbai, Snehan, 14, from Theni and Anshuman, 16, from Navi Mumbai are the other youngsters who achieved this feat.
