Mangaluru doctor Dr. Guruprasad Bhat became the first person from the city to successfully complete an English Channel relay swim.
The six-member Indian team completed the English Channel relay crossing from England to France in 13 hours and 5 minutes on July 3.
The English Channel is regarded as one of the world's toughest open-water swims because of cold water, strong currents, and unpredictable weather.
Dr. Guruprasad Bhat, a medical oncologist from Mangaluru, has become the first person from the city to participate in and successfully complete an English Channel relay swim. He was part of a six-member Indian relay team that completed the crossing from England to France in 13 hours and 5 minutes after entering the Channel at 1:30 a.m. on July 3, Deccan Herald reported.
Often called the "Everest of open-water swimming," the English Channel is one of the world's toughest endurance swims because of its cold water, powerful tides, unpredictable weather, heavy shipping traffic, and jellyfish.
The relay team included Dr. Guruprasad, Raghunandan Gangappa, Ankita Konwar, Divya Mahajan, Deepika Rana, and 14-year-old Arnav Joura, the youngest participant. Under English Channel relay rules, each swimmer took turns in the water for about two to three hours while wearing only standard swimwear, a cap, and goggles.
Dr. Guruprasad said he did not begin swimming until his 40s, when he enrolled in lessons alongside his son. Even after his son stopped attending, he continued training and gradually shifted from pool sessions to open-water practice in the Udyavara River and the sea off Tannirbhavi, Deccan Herald reported.
According to Daijiworld, he trained with experienced open-water swimmers, including Sanketh Bengre and Chaitanya Velhal, to build the confidence needed for long-distance sea swimming.
Coach Sanketh Bengre told Daijiworld, "A swimming pool has its limits. The true test of a swimmer is in open waters."
The English Channel is considered one of the world’s toughest open-water swimming routes because of its cold water, strong tides, unpredictable weather, heavy shipping traffic, and jellyfish, according to Daijiworld.
The relay also followed strict English Channel rules, with each swimmer entering the water in rotation while wearing only standard swimwear, a cap, and goggles. According to Deccan Herald, every team member spent about two to three hours in the water during the 13-hour crossing.
Dr. Guruprasad is the Chief Medical Oncologist at Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangaluru. According to his professional profile, he completed his Medical Oncology training at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bengaluru, between 2011 and 2014. He later joined KMC, Mangaluru, and started oncology services at Yenepoya Medical College in 2015 before taking up his current role.
Beyond his medical career, Dr. Guruprasad has participated in several endurance challenges, including climbs of Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus, and Mount Kosciuszko, along with the Catalina Channel swim. The English Channel relay crossing adds another achievement to his long-distance swimming and mountaineering pursuits.
(Rh/TP/MSM)