Ranchi

Seven-year-old Ishank Singh has created history by successfully swimming across the Palk Strait, and his mother says months of relentless training and discipline made the remarkable feat possible.

Ishank completed the challenging 29-kilometre open-water swim on April 30, starting from Talaimannar and reaching Dhanushkodi in 9 hours and 50 minutes.

His mother, Manisha Sinha, said her son developed a passion for swimming at the age of three and began showing interest in endurance events from an early age.

She said Ishank initially trained in swimming pools across Ranchi, but for the past six months shifted to open-water sessions at Dhurwa Dam specifically to prepare for the Palk Strait challenge.

“At such a young age, he spent seven to eight hours in the water every day. That dedication made this possible,” she said.

Ishank, who returned to Ranchi on Friday, said he was thrilled after completing the crossing and has already set his sights on an even bigger goal.

He said his dream now is to complete a two-way crossing of the Palk Strait.

A Class 3 student of Jawahar Vidya Mandir—the alma mater of Mahendra Singh Dhoni—Ishank has earned the titles of “Youngest and Fastest Palk Strait Swimmer” from the Universal Records Forum and “2026 OWSAT World Record” from the Open Water Swimming Academy.

His coaches, Aman Kumar Jaiswal and Bajrang Kumar, said they noticed his exceptional endurance during a summer camp and began training him for long-distance swimming with strong support from his family.

According to his coaches, the previous record was held by Jay Jaswanth.

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Hemant Soren congratulated the young swimmer, describing the achievement as a powerful example of discipline and determination, while school principal B N Jha praised Ishank’s courage and said he had brought pride to his school, state and the country.