Elvis Hazarika becomes first Assamese to swim English Channel in relay mode

Guwahati, July 30: Renowned swimmer Elvis Ali Hazarika has successfully completed a relay swim across the English Channel, becoming the first Assamese to achieve the feat.

The gruelling expedition took 13 hours and marked the 14th sea-crossing of his illustrious open-water career.

“With a lot of hard work, I have finally become the first Assamese to swim the English Channel in relay mode. The swim began at 1:30 am and took 13 hours to complete. It was extremely tiring — the swim, the overall endeavour. Joi Aai Axom,” Hazarika said in a statement after the swim.

This is not Hazarika’s first brush with the iconic Channel.

In July 2023, he became the first from the North East to complete a two-way English Channel crossing, covering 78 kilometres from England’s Hampshire to Calais in France and back, clocking 31 hours.

Hazarika is now preparing for an even more daunting challenge — ice swimming in Antarctica. If successful, he would be the first swimmer from Asia to complete the feat.

At a press meet earlier this year, Hazarika described the Antarctic mission as a “test of physical and psychological endurance”.

He said the expedition would involve over a month of acclimatisation, with zero access to land transport.

“We’ll travel by ship, and I’ll be accompanied at all times by a medical team. The risks are immense — frostbite, snow blindness, and even hospitalisation,” he noted.

The CEO of the expedition, Hazarika said, had warned that swimmers often require immediate medical attention due to the sub-zero conditions.

Hazarika’s recent Channel feat adds to a growing list of achievements.

On December 24 2024, he and West Bengal’s Rimo Saha completed a 42.5-km relay swim across the Arabian Sea, from the Worli Sea Link to the Atal Setu.

Known for pushing boundaries, Hazarika continues to inspire with his endurance-driven missions, consistently putting Assam and the Northeast on the global swimming map.