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Jiya Rai first Indian to claim grueling open-water swim award
Rai is also the first girl with Autism Spectrum Disorder to swim across the English Channel.
Jiya Rai. / Defence PRO Mumbai
Indian open-water swimmer Jiya Rai has won the Adaptive Performance of the Year at the 2024 World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) Awards. She is the first Indian open-water swimmer to win this esteemed award. At just 16, Rai became the first girl with Autism Spectrum Disorder to swim across the English Channel, completing the grueling swim in 17 hours and 25 minutes.
The WOWSA Awards, established in 2008, recognize exceptional achievements in open-water swimming, honoring athletes, organizers, and contributors who have significantly advanced the sport. This year’s awards saw 849 nominations from 24 countries, with 177 candidates vying for recognition.
The 83-member WOWSA Awards Voting Academy and Advisory Board shortlisted 10 finalists per category, and winners were determined through a mix of academy votes and over 6,000 public votes.
WOWSA executive director Quinn Fitzgerald praised the winners: "The WOWSA Awards honor the extraordinary individuals whose dedication and resilience shape the global open water swimming community. These nominees have profoundly impacted the sport, and we are privileged to celebrate them as true ambassadors of open-water swimming.”
In Rai’s category, Julian Critchlow’s English Channel Database (UK) won silver for documenting thousands of English Channel solo swims since 1875, while the Ice Swimming Adventure Expedition to Antarctica (South Africa) took bronze, recognizing a daring expedition where 12 swimmers braved Antarctic waters under the leadership of Ram Barkai from the International Ice Swimming Association.
Hasty Awards sponsored the awards, which continue to support excellence in competitive swimming worldwide.
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