Siddhartha Agarwal, a 49-year-old swimmer from Bengaluru, has set a new record as the oldest Indian to swim solo across the English Channel. On August 29, Agarwal completed the challenging 42-kilometer swim between England and France, finishing the feat in 15 hours and six minutes.
Reflecting on his remarkable achievement, Agarwal admitted that he had doubts about his ability to accomplish this milestone. His journey with the English Channel began in 2018 when he participated in an eight-member relay team that successfully crossed the Channel. Interestingly, in the same year, another Bengaluru resident, Srikaanth Viswanathan, entered the Limca Book of Records as the oldest Indian to swim solo across the Channel at age 46.
Six years later, Agarwal, affectionately known as “Sid” within the swimming community, broke Viswanathan’s record. The final 10 kilometers of his swim proved to be the most difficult, as he faced harsh conditions, high tides, and winds of up to 25 miles per hour. Despite these challenges, Agarwal completed the swim, earning his place in history.
“Until I actually completed the swim, I never believed that I could actually do this. It took me a while for it to sink in. What worked for me was that I trusted my coach, believed in the process, and just focused on what I needed to do that week and that month,” Agarwal shared in a release from Swim Life.
Agarwal’s successful solo swim was the result of extensive preparation under the guidance of his coach, Satish Kumar, a former international swimmer. Reflecting on his journey, Agarwal noted, “I was never a swimmer; at best, I would splash around in the pool at my school as a kid. To develop the discipline and put in the regular hours in the pool, despite my role as an entrepreneur and family commitments, was the real challenge that excited me.”
The training process began with 3-kilometer swims at a pace of 2 minutes and 15 seconds per 100 meters. As the date of the solo swim approached, the distance increased while the pace decreased. Satish was a strict coach, often canceling an entire session if Agarwal failed to meet the day’s targets, only to start fresh the next day.
With the growing popularity of endurance sports in India across age groups, open water swimming is gaining traction. Professional setups like Swim Life are encouraging amateur swimmers to embrace new challenges and pursue fitness regimes that promote lifestyle changes.
Satish, who trained Siddhartha, believes that this achievement will inspire many others to take up open water swimming. “Sid is truly a man on a mission when he sets his sights on a goal. The swim was 15 hours, but the training lasted 15 months. We trained rigorously, mastering every aspect of the Channel before the swim,” Satish said.
“With his incredible discipline and dedication, Sid was able to overcome the most challenging situations in the sea on that day. His success serves as a huge inspiration for amateur swimmers, regardless of age, who dream of achieving similar feats in their lifetime,” he added.