Baidya crosses Gibraltar Strait

Orthopaedically handicapped Masudur Rahman Baidya of Calcutta, conqueror of the English Channel, has become the first swimmer in the world as a double amputee below the knee to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.

The 32-year old Baidya took four hours 20 minutes to emerge victorious in his battle against waves in the difficult strait of Gibraltar on Sunday

"Masudur plunged into the water from a boat located at Tarifa Island in Spain at 0820 hours and touched the finishing line at a natural point on the Morroccan Coast at 1240 hrs, covering the distance of about 22 km," Nishith Ganguli, manager of the ace swimmer said.

For the last 12 days, Baidya was preparing for the swim and waiting for favourable weather conditions. He had crossed the unpredictable English Channel in 1997.

Ganguli said: "The Gibraltar Strait differs because of its specific characteristics where the swimming starts from a boat located at Tarifa Island. Normally a swimmer takes about five to five-and-a-half hours to cross the Strait, but Masudur has done it in a record time."