Air Force team completes swim around city, sets Asian record

The six-member team of the Indian Air Force completed its challenge to swim around Mumbai Thursday, setting an Asian swimming record in the process. The team, named Delphinus, which left the Gateway of India on Tuesday afternoon, returned to the monument past 4 pm on Thursday, having completed a clockwise circuit of the city. “They have covered 286 km in 49 hours, 44 minutes and 2 seconds. It is the longest open water swim by a relay team in Asia,” said Tejesh Parsekar, an independent observer from the Maharashtra State Amateur Aquatic Association (MSAAA).

The team had set out with a target of covering 250 km. “286 km was something we had not prepared for. We had to take several detours on the way. Our primary aim was to complete the swim. Time is incidental,” said Wing Commander Paramvir Singh.

The team cited passing through the sewage-clogged Thane Creek as the most challenging part of the swim.