Mumbai: Teen para swimmer with Autism Spectrum Disorder receives Audrey Scott Award for crossing the English Channel

Mumbai: Jiya Rai (17), an Indian para swimmer with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the daughter of an Indian Navy sailor posted at Colaba, received the Audrey Scott Award from the Channel Swimming and Pilots Federation of the United Kingdom for being the youngest successful swimmer of the year 2024 to swim the English Channel on July 28-2024. She was the first para swimmer in the world to receive this award.Rai became the first female para swimmer with Autism Spectrum Disorder to swim solo across the English Channel, covering 34 kilometres in 17 hours and 25 minutes."My daughter has cemented her place in the record books by swimming the Catalina Channel of the USA in Sept 26-2025, making her the world's first female para-swimmer to complete this feat solo," Jiya's father Madan Rai, a Navy sailor, told TOI.A defence official said Jiya's achievements included being the youngest female para swimmer to cross the English Channel (2024), the first girl with Autism Spectrum Disorder to swim the English Channel solo (2024), the first female para-swimmer to swim the Catalina Channel solo (2025), and the world record holder for the Catalina Channel swim (2025).She also received the WOWSA Award 2024, National Award of Disabilities 2023, and Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022. Her determination and resilience made her a symbol of advocacy for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and disabilities, promoting inclusivity and acceptance.

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