17-year-old Pune swimmer double crosses Bangla Channel, sets world record

Sampanna Ramesh Shelar started swimming at about 5 am on Friday and completed the journey of 32.2 kilometres in 9 hours and 10 minutes

Pune-based 17-year-old swimmer Sampanna Ramesh Shelar has set a world record to double cross the Bangla Channel.

Shelar, is the first person to swim to and fro from Saint Martin's Island Jetty to Teknaf in Bangladesh also known as the Bangla Channel on Friday. An ambitious Shelar has now planned to participate in the upcoming swimming competition.

Shelar told ANI, "I now eye the upcoming competition to be held in Bhagirathi River for 81 km".

He started swimming at about 5 am on Friday and completed the journey of 32.2 kilometers in 9 hours and 10 minutes.

"It is my first international solo ocean event. I shall give the entire credit to my coach Jitendra Khasnin. Two main problems that I faced were the fishes and high tides. When I was close to ending my swim high tides started coming and they blocked my way for a long time", Shelar added.

Shelar's Coach Jitendra Khasnin also expressed his happiness on the achievement of his student who he has been training since Shelar was 13-year-old.

"I have been training Shelar since he was 13-year-old. He started with 40 km/hour speed at Gujarat where he had set a national record. He was supposed to participate in the Bangla competition but as he was abler than others thus we decided to make this record. It is easy to go into the sea but difficult to come back due to high tides"

Ramesh Shelar has been practicing at Shark Aquatic Club situated at Pune and this is his maiden international record.