Goa-based swimmer, Arunima Bose has successfully swum across the 34km English Channel as a part of a relay team.
Arunima was part of a five-member “SwimLife Arrows” team from India. The team comprised Avinash Thadani, Kiran Rajagopal, Madhur Gopal and Yajna Somayaji; and swam from Shakespeare Beach in Dover, England to Cap-Gris-Nez, France in a time of 15 hours, 58 minutes.
The English Channel is part of the Seven Oceans Challenge. This year was special, as this was the 125th anniversary of Captain Matthew Webb, the first person to swim across the Channel.
Arunima, a Panaji-based Expressive Art Therapist, is also the lead coach at the Goa Open Water Swimming Club (GOWSC) which focusses on introducing swimmers across India to the joys of open water swimming. “I have been swimming since I was a child, but being in Goa motivated me to explore sea swimming, building my curiosity for open water challenges,” says Arunima.
According to Arunima, the physical aspect of swim training and gym workouts was much easier than the ice bath immersions that helped her acclimatise for the cold swim. “I strengthened my mind and mental make-up through meditation and visualization practices,” she said.
