As a paraplegic swimmer, he constantly pursues new achievements, Muhammad Shams Alam Sheikh A world record was set on Sunday. The para-athlete from Bihar’s Madhubani district council village became the first paraplegic swimmer to successfully complete the longest swim in the National Taxila open water race open water swimming Patna match.
Alam’s feat was officially recognized and certified by the World Records Federation on Sunday.
Aalam completed the 13-km stretch along the Ganga from Janardan Ghat to Law College Ghat in 2 hours, 03 minutes and 13 seconds, finishing 32nd among 50 participants, including another para swimmer Aalam from Patna. Anil Kumar. The event is organized by the Bihar Swimming Association (BSA), a subsidiary of the Swimming Federation of India (SFI), and is in its 14th edition this year.
After the event, Shams told TOI in Patna, “Things went as I expected. I thought it would take about an hour and 45 minutes, but since the event started very late, my body was dehydrated, so it took Approximately one hour and forty-five minutes.
“Actually, this is not the first time I have set foot in open water. I have tried it before. But this is the biggest one. In 2019, I swam 2 kilometers in the Ganges River and swam very fast. I can’t wait.” Because it used to be held every year but not in the last two years, I knew if I finished it it would be a record,” Alam added.
When asked about the challenges posed by this kind of open water swimming, the 38-year-old explained: “When I heard about this competition, I started preparing. The best thing is that my national championships ended recently .The first important game after.
At the 24th National Para Swimming Championships held in Goa from October 19 to 22, Alam won a gold medal in the 200m individual medley (SM5 category) and a gold medal in the 100m freestyle. A silver medal and a bronze medal in the 100m butterfly.
Elaborating further on the difference between swimming in a pool and open water, Aalam said, “Swimming in a pool is quite difficult because the water is stable and we have to push through it. When swimming in the sea or river, if the current is flowing when swimming, It gets easier as you flow, for example, swimming 3km in a pool at one time is about equivalent to 6-7km here (open water), so pool swimming is more challenging than swimming in the sea or river and difficulty.
“But in ponds, the water is clear and there is nothing to be afraid of. However, in rivers, people are worried that jellyfish or other aquatic animals may come. Since there was Chhath Puja a few days ago, many people have something in the water that may harm them It doesn’t scare you suddenly, so don’t worry sometimes, but I’m happy that it went well today,” Alam concluded.
