Setting record from Gateway of India to Atal Setu, 12-year-old Tanay makes waves in open water swimming

By Harsh Thakor 

Twelve-year-old Tanay Tushar Lad from Parel made ripples in the world of open water swimming by completing a swim from the Gateway of India to Atal Setu in a record time of 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 37 seconds. While Indian swimmers may not yet be making waves at the Olympics, this young powerhouse of talent has demonstrated the potential for excellence in international open water swimming. The power and grace with which he glided through the ocean waters showcased the budding talent for ocean water swimming in India—a perfect blend of speed and endurance.  

Tanay embarked on his voyage from the Gateway of India, with the tide strongly in his favor. What makes his achievement truly commendable is that he completed the route faster than the average time a professional swimmer would take for such an expedition. This was a Herculean feat, displaying phenomenal tenacity. It’s hard to imagine swimmers completing single legs of a relay in split times as quick as those achieved by this young hero. Masters Swimming champion Zarir Baliwala categorized Tanay’s performance as being in the highest bracket. As a channel swimmer myself, I rank this as a stupendous achievement, especially for a twelve-year-old.  

This accomplishment is a fitting tribute to Tanay’s dedication. His journey began with intensive training at the tender age of six, commuting daily from Panvel to Palara, his training center. Tanay epitomizes the qualities of hard work and perseverance.  

His training started under the guidance of former channel swimmer Rupali Repale, coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He would begin his training at 6 a.m. and often travel to Nerul Gymkhana for practice. Tanay covered a distance of 45 km, four days a week, to undergo his rigorous training. Over five years, he trained under the mentorship of Rupali Repale and Aniruddha Mahadik at the Rupali Repale Training Centre. Rupali played an instrumental role in nurturing his talent and motivating him to reach his optimum potential. It is commendable that a past stalwart like Rupali Repale could marshal resources to inspire this generation and revive her legacy.  

Tanay is a student at New Horizon Public School, which has provided him considerable support.  

Among his notable accomplishments are winning silver medals in open water competitions from landmarks such as Sunk Rock to Gateway of India, Periyar Kochi, Vijaydurg, and Rarkala, as well as securing a bronze medal in the International Oceanman competition at Krabi, Thailand. With many future expeditions lined up, Tanay is a prospective candidate for numerous more laurels. He has the potential to blossom into a truly great ocean water swimmer and join the hall of fame in sea swimming. One day, he could even challenge the record times of iconic swims like the English Channel or the Palk Strait. Tanay is capable of carrying the baton of past swimmers who achieved glory in sea swimming, such as Anita Sood and Bijoy Jain.  

Through this accomplishment, Tanay has continued the legacy of Indian swimmers who have made waves in ocean water swimming at a young age, like his mentor Rupali Repale and other channel swimmers such as Abhijit Rao, Naina Malahpurkar, Aarti Pradhan, and Rihen Mehta. Let us hope that he does not fade out like so many young aquatic champions of the past.  

Tanay is a source of inspiration for budding swimmers, demonstrating how relentless perseverance can lead to groundbreaking achievements.  

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*Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist who swam the English Channel, Lake Zurich, and Dharamtar to Gateway of India in 1988