Satyendra Singh brought laurels to the country, on Monday, as he became the first Asian para-swimmer to swim across the English Channel. The historic feat was achieved in only 12 hours and 26 minutes. Family members of the specially-abled athlete were all praise for the champion swimmer. They said that Satyendra not only made the state (Madhya Pradesh) but the entire India proud.”

The para-swimmer who hails from Gwalior, in Madhya Pradesh, achieved what many swimmers can’t even imagine of. The family members seemed to be in quite a jubilant mood and were celebrating the achievement with much joy. Talking about his rare feat, one of the family members said, “We are ecstatic. He not only made the state but the entire India proud.”

Watch Satyendra Singh’s Medals and Certificates as Shared by his Family Members:

Along with Satyendra Singh, there were other teammates, too. The other members were Chetan Raut (Maharashtra), Rimo Saha (West Bengal) and Jagdish Chandra (Rajasthan). The following achievement is not a one-time-wonder. Satyendra has previously swum in the Arabian Sea for 36 km, and that’s only one of his many successes.

The brave para-swimmer has won quite some medals for his accomplishments. Satyendra has bagged 16 medals in his para-swimming career so far. Not just that, he was also awarded Madhya Pradesh’s highest honour – Vikram Award – in the year 2014.

At a very young age of two, Satyendra was diagnosed with pneumonia. The carelessness of the doctor only worsened the situation for him. Hence, he had to lose the lower part of his body to the negligence. However, that did not let the sportsman’s spirit and grit in him.

Satyendra Singh, who achieved this rare-feat of crossing the 34-km-long distance in less than 13 hours, aspires to do well for his country at Asian Para Games in Jakarta in 2018, and later on at Paralympic Games in 2020.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 25, 2018 11:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).