Hazarika accomplished the 78-kilometre journey in 31 hours by swimming in a relay from Hampshire, England...
Digital Desk: Elvis Ali Hazarika who hails from Assam has now become the first person from North East to cross the English Channel both ways.
Hazarika accomplished the 78-kilometre journey back and forth, in a time frame of 31 hours by swimming in a relay from England's Hampshire, to Calis in France, and back on Wednesday.
''I have been waiting for this day for a long time. After a lot of effort and hours of pushing myself to work harder, every day, I successfully have become the first Assamese (North East) to cross the English Channel two ways,'' Hazarika stated in a tweet.
He also described it as a "dream come true" and a "proud moment" for all Indians and Assamese.
''We had to go through a lot of challenges, especially the Jellyfish, Dolphins, Seals, Saltwater, heavy currents, and choppy weather that were accompanying us all the way! Joi Aai Axom (Hail! Assam, my motherland),'' Elvis stated on his Twitter post.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated Hazarika, saying it was a monumental accomplishment and great news filled with joy for Assam.
Previously, Hazarika and his West Bengal companion Rimo Saha made history in September of last year by being the first Indian and Asian relay team to cross the North Channel in Europe.
In September of last year, the pair became the first swimmers from their respective countries to successfully cross the North Channel, a waterway between Northern Ireland and Scotland, in relay swimming.
In 2019, Hazarika became the first Assamese swimmer to traverse the Catalina Channel in the United States.
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