24/03/2022
True Cinema is proud to be part of Sucheta’s core team and support her in her future swims.
Woman ultra marathon swimmer creates record
DHANUSHKODI: Sucheta Deb Burman, an ultra marathon swimmer has set a new record by swimming across the Palk Strait from Dhanuskodi in Tamil Nadu to Talaimannar in Sri Lanka a distance of 34 Kms. in 10 hours and 9 minutes on Wednesday. She is the only Indian to have achieved this feat, swimming the Palk Strait from India to Sri Lanka.
By achieving the feat, Sucheta, daughter of N D Burman, NIS swimming coach and ex HAL employee, became the fastest Indian swimmer to swim across the Palk Strait. The swimming commenced at 8.23 am on Wednesday from Dhanushkodi and she reached Talaimannar at 6.33 pm. The swim was supervised by Mr. Sathish Kumar from the Tamil Nadu State Aquatic Association (TNSAA).
She had planned for a 2 way swim without a stopover, also the first for anyone, but could not complete it due to a shoulder injury. Sucheta was stung by jelly fish and sea weeds during the tough swim and constantly challenged by the tide and current. She had to cautiously navigate the waters which had fishing trawlers too. She overcame all this till her shoulder pain became excruciating and she was forced to abort the return leg just 7.5 kms. from Dhanushkodi.
While the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard ensured her safety in Indian water, the Sri Lankan Navy provided the search and rescue (SAR) cover to Sucheta while swimming in Lankan waters.
Earlier on 17th February, 2022, Sucheta had swum 36 kms. in 8 hours and 44 minutes from the Bandra Worli Sea Link to Gateway of India.
Born in Agartala and raised in Bangalore, Sucheta started swimming at the tender age of 4 under the tutelage of her father who has coached several successful swimmers. By the age of 21, Sucheta had won several National medals. In 2017 she fractured her spine and after 6 months of her injury she started hydrotherapy and a year later won her first Open Water Swimming competition in August 2018.
Apart from being an Elite Ultramarathon Swimmer, Sucheta is a NIS certified coach and an Open Water Coach for Triathletes and Open water swim enthusiasts. She is also a Climate Change crusader and gets immense satisfaction speaking about how the natural water bodies should be cared for. She and her group cleans lakes and water bodies where she swims, thus creating awareness about the importance of sustainability in nature. According to her, every swim is an opportunity for her to speak about and spread the awareness regarding water pollution and the degrading quality of biodiversity she sees around her. With one eye on swimming and the other on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), she prides herself as an ECO SWIMMER.
While thanking her team members and the local authorities for their untiring support during the swim, Sucheta paid tributes to veteran swimmer Bula Chowdhary who was also trained by her father N D Burman.
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