Context:
- Indian long-distance swimmers Elvis Ali Hazarika of Assam and West Bengal’s Rimo Saha have made history by becoming the first relay team from the country as well as Asia to cross the North Channel in Europe.
- He successfully became the first Assamese (North East) to cross the North Channel by swimming it in Relay Northern Ireland to Scotland.
Highlights:
- North Channel is a strait between north-eastern Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland.
- Hazarika is the oldest swimmer from India to achieve the feat in 14 hours and 38 minutes.
- Hazarika had last year announced his intention to cross the English Channel in March 2023. The English Channel swim will be over a distance of 36 kms in 12-14 hours with the starting point at Samphire Hoe Beach in the United Kingdom and France’s Calais as the finishing point.
- This will be Hazarika’s second attempt to cross the English Channel after he had fallen short by about 10 kms in his first attempt in 2018.
- He is also the first swimmer from Assam to cross the Catalina Channel in the US in 2019