Siddhartha Agarwal, a 49-year-old swimmer from Bengaluru, India, has etched his name in the record books by becoming the oldest Indian to conquer the English Channel solo. He completed the grueling 42km swim in 15 hours and six minutes, overcoming challenging conditions and high tides, particularly in the final 10km stretch.
Agarwal’s journey to achieving this incredible feat began in 2018 when he participated in a relay team swim across the Channel. However, the seed for his solo attempt was sown in 2017 during a casual pool swim. “During a casual swim in the pool, Satish Kumar (founder of Swim Life) presented me with the challenge of trying out open-water swimming, I accepted the idea. Little did I imagine then that I would end up swimming solo across the English Channel,” said Siddhartha.
His preparation for the solo swim was rigorous, starting with 3km swims at a pace of 2 minutes 15 seconds per 100 meters. As the date of the swim approached, the distance increased, and the pace slowed. Agarwal credits his coach, Satish Kumar, for his unwavering support and tough training regime. “Satish was a real task master, his rules were simple: If you can’t achieve that day’s target of distance and pace, he would cancel out the enter session as invalid and start a fresh the following day,” shared Siddhartha.
The culmination of his dedication and perseverance saw him succeed in the daunting challenge. “Until I actually completed the swim, I never believed that I could actually do this. It took me a while for it to sink in. What worked for me was that I trusted my coach, I believed in the process and just focused on what I needed to do that week and that month,” he reflected.
Agarwal’s triumph not only sets a new benchmark for Indian swimmers but also serves as an inspiring testament to the power of determination and the pursuit of one’s dreams, regardless of age.
