Assam Swimmers Create History in Palk Strait Expedition

Assam Swimmers Create History in Palk Strait Expedition

A team of young swimmers from Assam scripted history by successfully crossing the challenging Palk Strait from Talaimannar, Sri Lanka to Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu, India. The expedition covered a distance of nearly 29 kilometres across the sea on May 5, 2026.

A total of five swimmers from Assam participated in the international swimming expedition under the guidance of coach Babul Gurung.

Kamal Krishna Das (18 years 7 months) began his swim at 2:10 AM from Talaimannar, Sri Lanka and reached Dhanushkodi, India at 1:45 PM. He completed the crossing in 11 hours 34 minutes.

Another remarkable performance came from Aditri Roy Chowdhury (11 years 17 days), who also started at 2:10 AM and completed the swim at 3:02 PM. She finished the crossing in 12 hours 52 minutes.

The relay team comprising Kiuchenghan Phukon (8 years 3 months), Kankita Das (10 years 9 months), Janvi Dakua (9 years 11 months) completed the Palk Strait relay swim in 12 hours 54 minutes, finishing at 3:05 PM.

Notably, Kiuchenghan Phukon became one of the world’s youngest female swimmers to complete the Palk Strait relay swim.

All the swimmers trained under renowned coach Babul Gurung.

Secretary Bhaskar Das congratulated all the swimmers for their remarkable achievement and for bringing pride to Assam through their dedication and determination.