From Kanpur to Varanasi: 11-year-old to swim length of 13 Olympic marathons

Mumbai: Shraddha Shukla, an 11-year-old endurance swimmer from Kanpur, has embarked on a mission of swimming from her home town to the holy city of Varanasi.

Shukla, who is set to cover the Kanpur to Varanasi stretch via the Ganga river, will cover a total of 570 km over the course of 10 days. Her journey also includes refreshment breaks.

“I am not nervous. I am excited and confident of completing the challenge,” said Shukla to Hindustan Times, before embarking on her journey.

To put her effort into perspective, Shukla is set to swim 13 times the distance of an Olympics marathon. However, the 11-year-old will not be covering this distance all at once. She will swim from 5.30 am to 7.30 pm everyday, while being guided by guard divers.

Shukla will also have a metal net protecting her from underwater, while she swims her way to Varanasi.

“She will swim between the net; it will keep her safe. She is not scared. All she has on her mind is the record,” said her father.

Although she is just 11 years old, Shukla has been swimming for around a decade now, as she reportedly took to water at the tender age of one.