Bhubaneswar: Jiya Rai is an exceptional talent. We thought she would cover the 21 km distance in 6 to 7 hours, however, she made it in around 5 hours, which is a record. She will inspire athletes – autism has never been an impediment for Jiya, Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera said today.
The Minister was speaking about wonder kid Jiya Rai, who has mastered swimming, though autistic, and broke yet another record today. With this, Jiya has as many as 26 world records in her. And she is just 4! Today, in an event organised by the Veteran’s Club of Odisha, Jiya swam 21 kms in 4.52 hours.
14-year-old Jiya started swimming from Kalijai island (Krushnaprasad in Puri) upto Balugaon Jetty (on Chilika shore). Jiya swam in Chilika to create awareness and safeguard the migratory birds in Asia’s largest brackish water lake.
Born on May 10, 2008 to Indian Navy officer Madan Rai and wife Rachna, Jiya was diagnosed with autism in 2010. However, when her parents discovered that she has a liking for swimming, there was no looking back for her.
Born in Banaras, Jiya lives with her parents in Mumbai. Her father is a high-ranking officer in the Indian Navy. He said, “The swim was planned before 10 months. The swimming started at 5:52 am and concluded at 10 am covering a distance of 21 km.”
She aims to become the first and youngest para swimmer in the world to swim seven oceans, her mother said.
