Jiya Rai Becomes First Indian to Win WOWSA Award 2024!

Mumbai’s Jiya Rai, the youngest female para swimmer to cross the English Channel, has won the prestigious WOWSA Award 2024
Seventeen-year-old Jiya Rai, a para swimmer from Mumbai, has made history by becoming the youngest female para swimmer to cross the English Channel. Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at an early age, she defied expectations and turned her challenges into strengths. Her extraordinary feat has earned her the prestigious World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) Award 2024 for Adaptive Performance, thus making her place among the world’s greatest open-water swimmers.

The WOWSA Awards, instituted in 2008, are the highest accolades in the field of open-water swimming. Recognizing exceptional swimmers, events, and organizations, these awards celebrate the dedication and resilience of open-water athletes worldwide.
This year, Jiya emerged victorious in the Adaptive Performance category, surpassing 177 nominees. A combination of Academy votes and over 6,000 public votes determined the final winners. She is now the first Indian open-water swimmer to receive this prestigious global recognition.

Source : TheBrighterWorld