7-Year-Old Swimmer Sets World Record Crossing Palk Strait
A seven-year-old swimmer, Ishank from Ranchi, India, has made history by successfully crossing the challenging sea route between Sri Lanka and India, setting a new world record at a very young age.
The young swimmer covered a distance of nearly 29 kilometres from Talaimannar to Dhanushkodi across the dangerous Palk Strait in just 9 hours and 50 minutes. With this achievement, he has become the youngest swimmer in the world to complete this route.
The feat was accomplished on April 30, 2026, as a result of rigorous training, discipline, and strong determination. For this accomplishment, he was awarded the “Youngest and Fastest Palk Strait Swimmer” world record certificate by the Universal Records Forum.
To prepare for this challenge, Ishank trained for 4 to 5 hours daily at the Dhurwa Dam in Ranchi under the guidance of his coaches, Aman Kumar Jaiswal and Bajrang Kumar.
A Grade 3 student of DAV Shyamali School in Ranchi, Ishank has received praise from his school as well. The school principal described his achievement as a proud moment for the institution, the city of Ranchi, and the entire country, noting that completing such a feat at a young age reflects exceptional courage, discipline, and determination.
The principal further emphasized that Ishank’s success proves that with dedication and proper guidance, any goal can be achieved, and wished him a bright future.
