According to event organiser Santosh Patil, Arya Niki, aged six years, four months and 20 days, completed the distance in 3 hours and 51 minutes on Friday.

Rajendra Palkar, secretary of the Maharashtra Aquatic Association, presented a certificate stating that no swimmer of Arya Niki’s age had previously completed a sea swim of this distance.

Arya Niki’s mother, Dimpul Krishna, said the swim was organised to promote awareness about sports among children and to mark Gold Ribbon Month, observed as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Earlier this year in May, eight-year-old Eva Sanvi Dinesh Parte from Thakurli in Dombivli successfully completed a 17-km open swim from Atal Setu to Gateway of India in 2 hours and 52 minutes. 

A class four student of Omkar International School, Eva began the swim at around 3 AM after offering prayers to the sea and completed the challenging stretch at 5.52 AM under difficult sea conditions.

According to her coaches and family members, the young swimmer faced several obstacles during the attempt, including darkness, strong winds, high waves, movement of boats and ships, and unstable sea currents. Floating waste such as plastic bottles, coconuts, flower garlands, and tree branches in the polluted waters further added to the challenge.