Sampanna Ramesh Shelar, a Bachelor of Physical Education student, has set a new record by becoming the fastest Indian in the under-21 category to swim across the Palk Strait, from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Dhanuskodi in Tamil Nadu. He completed the 29 km distance in just 5 hours and 30 minutes, beating the previous record of 8 hours and 26 minutes. Shelar started his swim at 6:00 am on Thursday and reached Dhanushkodi at 11:26 am.
He is coached by Mr. Jitendra Khasnis and plans to complete solo swims across the English and Catalina Channels to achieve the Oceans Seven Challenge.