Meet the first mother-daughter duo to swim across the English Channel
In the year 2008, Leena and Bhakti became the first ever mother-daughter duo in the world to have swum the English Channel. Last year, Bhakti swam 1.4 miles in 52 minutes in the Antarctic Ocean at a temperature of 1°C, breaking the world record set by British open water swimmer Lewis Pugh and American swimmer Lynne Cox. Recognizing her feat, even PM Narendra Modi tweeted to congratulate her.
Based in the city of lakes, Udaipur, Leena Sharma talks with pride on their journey. “I have been a swimmer myself since I was young. I didn’t even have a personal coach. I learnt the skill by looking at other good swimmers. Bhakti has been a sincere student and a fast learner. We have always faced and overcome the challenges to achieve what we wanted,” Leena told Mums and stories.
On her journey, Bhakti shares, “My mother is my inspiration. She is the reason why I am able to stand tall on a global platform today. I was participating in many competitions and won many state level medals too. But moving from pools to deep waters, into the oceans and seas has changed the direction of my life.”
We at Think Change India take great pride in the achievement of the mother-daughter duo and thank ‘Mums and stories‘ for getting in touch with us to bring such incredible stories to our notice. To stay updated with more positive news, please connect with us on Facebook.