Indian teenager becomes world's youngest swimmer to cross North Channel

Doha, Qatar: Anshuman Jhingran, an 18-year-old open sea swimmer from Navi Mumbai,  set a new Guinness World Record as the youngest person to cross the North Channel, according to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS).

Jhingran became the 114th person to cross the channel since 1947, under the guidance of his coach Gokul Kamath at the Fr Agnel Sport Centre.

Expressing gratitude towards his coach, his family, and his support team, Jhingran stated in a media interview: "Yes, in the beginning, it looked very difficult. But thanks to the severe training I had gone through under my Guru, my coach Shri Gokul Kamath & Sal Minty-Gravett (MBE), I was able to overcome all the challenges.”

“I also want to thank my parents for their unwavering faith in me. And of course, you cannot ever take on such challenges without a dedicated support team, so I am immensely grateful to them,” he added.

The North Channel, situated between Scotland and Northern Ireland, is widely considered the most challenging of the Ocean Seven Swims due to its extremely cold temperatures, the presence of highly dangerous lions’ mane jellyfish, and unpredictable tides and currents.