Jiya Rai becomes first female with autism to swim across Catalina Channel in US

Los Angeles [US], October 1 : A 17-year-old girl, Jiya Rai, with autism spectrum disorder, became the first female para-swimmer to successfully swim solo across the Catalina Channel near Los Angeles, USA.

Jiya covered a distance of 34 km in 15 hours, 1 minute and 43 seconds, starting on midnight on September 25 from Catalina Island, and finished at the coast of California near San Pedro on September 26. She is the daughter of Madan Rai, MC-at-Arms II of the Indian Navy and has dedicated this swim to Autism awareness.

Jiya Rai has won international acclaim for her swimming prowess, including a world record for her swim across the English Channel in 2024 and the Palk Strait in 2022. She is a recipient of the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) Award 2024, the National Award of Disabilities 2023 and the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2024.

Last year, Jiya Rai successfully swam across the English Channel, a distance of 34 km, in 17 hours and 25 minutes and became the youngest and fastest para swimmer in the world to achieve this feat in solo swimming.

In the 150-year history of channel swimming, Jiya who is the daughter of Madan Rai, MC-at-Arms II, Indian Navy, is the first girl with autism spectrum disorder to achieve this. She started her heroic effort on July 28 at Abbotts Cliff, England, and finished at Pte De La Courte-Dune, France, in the early hours of July 29, as per a Press Information Bureau (PIB) press release.

Jiya dedicated this swim for autism awareness, and in recognition of this endeavour, English Channel Sea Swimming from July 21 to 28 was dedicated for autism awareness.

The Channel is known for its treacherous currents. It's water temperature in July is 180 C and can cause hypothermia. Besides the hazards of jelly fish and debris, the Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world with over 600 tankers, ferries and other vessels crossing daily. Weather conditions change abruptly making it almost impossible to plan the swim in advance.

As per the Channel Swimming Association rules, the swimmer cannot leave the water or touch the pilot boat or anyone that accompanies the swimmer. Food and liquids are handed over by boat crew using a long stick.

More people have scaled Mount Everest than swim across the English Channel. In the last 100 years, only about 1,700 people have swum across the English Channel.

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