Lest we forget the Youngest Indian
to compete at the Olympics – Arati Saha
At the tender age of just 11 years and 10 months old Indian swimmer Arati Saha was qualified and participated in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
Only a few days after her 19th birth Arati Saha became the first Asia woman to swim cross English Channel.
Born on 24 September, 1940 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Arati Saha was just 11 years, 10 months and 305 days old.
It is a record which still stands and looks unlikely to be broken in the foreseeable future.
Sadly, her mother past away when she was barely 2 years old. She was raised by the loving family of an uncle and he grandmother.
Saha was introduced to swimming at the age of four and won her first competition when she was five years old.
It kickstarted her swimming career and under the mentorship of Sachin Nag, an Asian Games champion and Olympian, Arati Saha soon emerged as one of the best young swimmers in India.
Arati Saha mainly swam short-distance freestyle and breaststroke events and won several competitions in her native state of West Bengal.
When Arati Saha jumped in the pool on July 26, 1952 for the women’s 200m breaststroke heats, it made her the youngest Indian Olympian.
Arati Saha swam in the third heat of the women’s 200m, along with eventual bronze-medallist Elenor Gordon of Great Britain. Gordon was seven years senior to Arati.
While Arati Saha may be the youngest Indian to compete at the Summer Games, she is better known as the first Asian woman to cross the English Channel.
Inspired by Bangladeshi swimmer Brojen Das, who was the first Asian man to swim across the English Channel in 1958, Arati Saha began training for the gruelling course. She was supported in her endeavour by Mihir Sen, the first Indian man to swim the English Channel.
Five days after turning 19, on September 29, 1959, Arati Saha made swam crossing the English Channel.
After swimming for 16 hours and 20 minutes, Arati Saha covered 42 miles and reached Sandgate, England, to successfully swim across the English Channel and etch her name in the record books.
Sadly, like her mother dying young at only 54 years old on 23 August, 1994 due to health complications.
Source: Olympic.com, hercircle.in.
