Bhakti Sharma

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Bhakti Sharma
Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for the year-2011 to Ms. Bhakti Sharma for Water Adventure, in a glittering ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on August 29, 2012.jpg
Sharma at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2011
Born (1989-11-30) 30 November 1989 (age 32)
NationalityIndian
Occupation Open water swimmer
Years active2003present
Awards Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, 2010
Website bhaktisharma.in

Bhakti Sharma (born 30 November 1989) is an Indian Open water swimmer.

Contents

Sharma is the first Asian woman and the youngest in the world to set a record in open swimming in Antarctic waters. Sharma swam 1.4 miles (2.3 km) in 41.14 minutes, at a temperature of 1 °C (34 °F), breaking the record of Lynne Cox (USA) and Lewis Pugh (Great Britain). [1] Bhakti Sharma has swum in all the five oceans of the world, besides swimming in or across eight other seas and channels. She was awarded the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in 2010. [2]

On June 22, 2016, A. R. Rahman tweeted to support the crowdfunding campaign started by Sharma on Fueladream.com. [3]

Early life

Sharma was born in Mumbai and brought up in Udaipur, Rajasthan. She holds a master's degree from Symbiosis School of Media and Communication, Bengaluru in Communications Management, and holds a bachelor's degree in Commerce from Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Swimming career

Sharma started swimming at a young age of 2 and a half years, coached by her mother Leena Sharma. After having participated in many State and District Level competitions, her first open water (Sea) swim was a 16 km swim from Uran port to Gateway of India in 2003. Sharma was just 14 years old that time. [4] [5]

Along with her Mother-Coach Leena Sharma and friend Priyanka Gehlot, Bhakti holds the Asian record for the first swim by a 3-member women's relay team across the English Channel. She also shares a world record with her mother for being the first mother-daughter pair to swim across the English Channel, a feat that they achieved in 2008.

Sharma is only the third person in the world to have swum in the Arctic Ocean, and recently swam in the Antarctic Ocean to become the youngest to swim in all five oceans, a feat which earned her recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. [6] [7]

Sharma's swimming career's major milestones include :

National Swims

Recent record

On January 10, 2015, Sharma became the youngest in the world and first Asian girl to swim in the freezing water of Antarctica for 2.25 km, [16] beating the record of British open water swimming champion Lewis Pugh and American swimmer Lynne Cox. Sharma swam for 41.14 minutes, covering 2.25 km distance in the freezing waters of Antarctica while the temperature was only one degree celsius. [16] She performed the record-breaking swim with the sponsorship of Hindustan Zinc Limited. [17]

Motivational Speaking

Sharma is also a motivational speaker; she has been invited to speak about her experiences at various national and international speaker platforms. Some of the well-documented speaker opportunities include

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References

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  2. "Bhakti Sharma conquers Antarctic Ocean". Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  3. "AR Rahman tweets to raise funds for 'talented' swimmer Bhakti Sharma". The Indian Express. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  4. "Interview in Udaipur Times". Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  5. Writer, Guest (8 August 2021). "The Paradox Of India's Olympian Daughters". Feminism In India. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  6. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi Congratulates Record-Breaking Swimmer Bhakti Sharma". NDTV Sports. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 "The Hindu Article". The Hindu. January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  8. "Lake Zurich Swim Results 2006" (PDF). Retrieved 8 February 2015.
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  11. "Swim to educate with Bhakti Sharma" . Retrieved 7 July 2015.
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  14. "The Water Girl Of India: Bhakti Sharma Sets The World Record In Antarctic Ocean". Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  15. "Bhakti Sharma - Profile". Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  16. 1 2 "World Record in Antarctica Ocean". Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  17. "Indian swimmer Bhakti Sharma sets world record in Antarctic Ocean" . Retrieved 5 February 2015.