New Delhi, March 22 : Jiya Rai, daughter of a senior Indian Navy sailor, brought laurels to the country by swimming across the Palk Strait, from Talaimannar, Sri Lanka to Dhanuskodi in India, a distance of 29 km in 13 hours and 10 minutes on March 20. “A child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, she achieved the feat at the age of 13 years and 10 months, becoming the youngest and fastest female swimmer in the world to swim across the Palk Strait,” the Defence Ministry said. The record was earlier held by Bula Chowdhary who swam the distance in 13 hours 52 minutes in 2004. The event was conducted by the Para Swimming Federation of India (PSFI) with cooperation from many agencies including the Swimming Federation of India, Sports Development Authority, Tamil Nadu and the Autism Society of India. The Goa Shipyard Limited provided the swimmer financial sponsorship for the event. During the event, the Sri Lankan Navy provided search and rescue cover in Sri Lankan waters while the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard provided similar support in Indian waters, the Defence Ministry said. Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, congratulated Ms. Jiya Rai and her parents on the stupendous achievement. Jiya Rai, a recipient of many awards including the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Purashkar – 2022, is on a mission to swim in all oceans of the world. ASU SHK1612