Jiya Rai Becomes First Female Para-Swimmer To Conquer Catalina Channel

Photo: ANI

LOS ANGELES, CA  –Jiya Rai, a 17-year-old para-swimmer from India on the autism spectrum, has become the first female to complete a solo swim across the Catalina Channel in California.

Rai swam the 34-km stretch in 15 hours, 1 minute and 43 seconds, beginning just after midnight on September 25 from Catalina Island and finishing on the California coast near San Pedro the following day. She dedicated the feat to autism awareness.

The daughter of Indian Navy officer Madan Rai, MC-at-Arms II, Jiya has earned global recognition for her open-water achievements. She previously set a world record in 2024 by crossing the English Channel and had also conquered the Palk Strait in 2022. Her awards include the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) Award in 2024, the National Award for Disabilities in 2023, and the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2024.

In 2023, Rai successfully crossed the English Channel in 17 hours and 25 minutes, becoming the youngest and fastest para-swimmer worldwide to do so solo. That swim, conducted under the Channel Swimming Association’s strict rules, highlighted the hazards of unpredictable weather, cold waters averaging 18°C, jellyfish, heavy shipping traffic, and the constant risk of hypothermia.

According to the Association, fewer than 1,700 people have completed the Channel swim in the past century—fewer than those who have summited Mount Everest.

The week of July 21–28 was officially observed as Autism Awareness Week in recognition of her endeavor.

Rai continues to dedicate each of her swims to raising awareness about autism, combining athletic accomplishment with a social message. (ANI)