Indian swimmer matches the world record of being the fastest to cross the Sea of Sea of Galilee
Media reports suggest that an Indian swimmer named Aryan Singh Dadiala has recently matched the world record for being the fastest male swimmer to swim across the Sea of Galilee in Israel braving harsh weather conditions. For those unaware, the Sea of Galilee is actually a freshwater lake and is the second-lowest one, approximately 215 metres below the sea level and 20.5 kilometres in length. It is characterised by whirlpools and never-ending windstorms.
Aged 21, Dadiala first set the world record in November 2022 in Goa for completing 32 kilometres in open water swimming within 5 hours 36 minutes and now becomes the first Asian to successfully swim across the Sea of Galilee.
He began his swim at 5:18 am on a Friday when it was still dark outside and extremely cold inside the water and wrapped up the challenge in 11:33 AM (in 6 hours and 15 minutes). Thus, he matched the existing world record of the fastest male swimmer to swim across the freshwater lake, that too in his maiden attempt.
Earlier, it was set by Guy Cohen, an Israeli open water swimmer in 2017 but that was his 7th attempt.
The Indian swimmer’s father Surjeet told many media sources that it was a proud moment for the country and also shed light on how his son endured many weather and physical obstacles such as heavy winds and fatigue, but overcame them, staying firm and focussed to his goal.
The milestone was observed and certified by Galilee Marathon Swimming Association of Israel and flagged off by Indian diplomat Pawan K. Pal based at the Indian embassy of Tel Aviv and heading the public diplomacy division there.
It was the champion’s own way of strengthening the India-Israel relationship. He aims to take up more such initiatives in the future. During this feat, the swimmer was accompanied by his family, coach Rahul Chiplunkar, guide Subodh Sule and crew Pavitra Poilkar.
Although Indian by origin, Aryan now stays in Ohio, USA. He has been training at Spire Institute and Academy since 2018 and two years later, he was made the brand ambassador of the institute. Aryan has more than 100 medals to his name and is also a sprinter and humanitarian.