Jiya Rai became the youngest and fastest female swimmer in the world to swim across the Palk Strait.

The swimming commenced at 4.22 am on Sunday from Talaimanar and concluded at Dhanushkodi at 5.32 pm.

A 13-year-old Maharashtra girl suffering from Autistic spectrum disorder has set a new record by swimming across the Palk Strait from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Dhanuskodi in Tamil Nadu, covering a distance of 29 km in 13 hours and 10 minutes on Sunday.

By achieving the feat, Jiya Rai, daughter of Master Chief of Arms of INS Kunjali, became the youngest and fastest female swimmer in the world to swim across the Palk Strait.

The previous record was held with Bhula Chowdhary who covered the distance in 13 hours and 52 minutes in 2004. The swimming commenced at 4.22 am on Sunday from Talaimanar and concluded at Dhanushkodi at 5.32 pm.

The event was conducted and guided by the Para-Swimming Federation of India (PSFI).

source/content: newindianexpress.com (edited)