Satendra Singh Lohiya

Satendra Singh Lohiya is a para swimmer known for long open-water swims. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of sports, from Madhya Pradesh ^[1].

Learning in the river

He was born on 6 July 1987 in a village in Bhind district ^[2]. As a child he fell ill, and poor treatment left him with a permanent 70 per cent disability in both legs ^[2]. His parents, though poor, sent him to the village school, and he learned to swim in the local river, spending hours in the water ^[2].

His turning point came when Virendra Kumar Dabas, then head of swimming at the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education in Gwalior, began training him ^[2]. After two years he won bronze at the national para swimming championships in 2009 ^[2].

Open water

In 2017 he swam 33 km in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai, from Prongs Reef lighthouse to Elephanta Island ^[2]. In 2018 he crossed the English Channel with an Indian para relay team in 12 hours 26 minutes ^[2]. He has since crossed the Catalina Channel in California (2019) and the North Channel off Northern Ireland (2022) with relay teams, and in 2023 took part in a two-way English Channel crossing of 72 km ^[2].

In the pool he has won 23 national para medals, four of them gold, and medals at international events ^[2]. He received Madhya Pradesh’s Vikram Award in 2014 and the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in 2019 ^[2].