Bhakti Sharma
Bhakti Sharma (born 30 November 1989) is an open water swimmer from Rajasthan, India who has completed 2 of the 7 channels in the Oceans Seven. She is currently a Ph.D. Student & Program Coordinator at the University of Florida.
She was awarded the Gr8! Women of the Year award in Mumbai, India together with her mother Leena Sharma and is the youngest female swimmer to swim in the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Arctic Ocean and the Seven Seas.
Contents
Open Water Swimming Career
- 2008: Swam 72 km from Dharmatar to Gateway of India with Leena Sharma and Priyanka Gehlot in 16 hours 58 minutes
- 2008: Participated in an English Channel relay with mother Leena Sharma and Priyanka Gehlot on 23 July
- 2007: Crossed the Strait of Gibraltar on 30 September in 5 hours 13 minutes at the age of 18 from Tarifa, Spain to Morocco
- 2007: Participated in the 25 km USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships in Fort Myers, Florida
- 2007: Competed in the 12.5-mile Swim Around Key West marathon swim in Key West, Florida
- 2006: Crossed the English Channel in 13 hours 55 minutes on 6 July at the age of 16 from Shakespeare Beach, Dover England to Callis, France
- 2006: Won the female division of the 26.4 km International Self-Transcendence Marathon Swim on 6 August, in 10 hour 41 minutes.
- 2004: Swam 36 km from Dharamtal to the Gateway of India in 9 hours 30 minutes at the age of 14.
- 2003: Swam 16 km from Uran Port in Mumbai to Gateway of India in 4 hours at the age of 13.
- Finished fourth in Long Distance Open Water Swimming competition held at Girgaun Beach, Mumbai, India.
- 2015: Swam 1.42 miles in 41 minutes 14 seconds in Paradise Bay, Antarctica on 13 January in 1ºC water to complete a Zero Ice Mile at the age of 26.
- 2010: Swam 1.8 km in 33 minutes in the Arctic Ocean on 9 August in 4-6ºC water.
- 2007: Competed in the 6.5 km Swim Around The Rock event in San Francisco, California.
- She received the 2011 Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in the Water Category.
Pool Swimming Career
- 2010: Swam in a swimming pool with 12,500 kg of ice as a practice swim for her swim in the Arctic Ocean on 4 February
- Finished fourth in Long Distance Open Water Swimming competition held at Girgaun beach, Mumbai, India
- Participated in 47th National School Swimming Championships under the Aegis of School Games Federation of India at Gandhinagar, Gujarat
- 2003: Won 2 gold and 2 silver medals at the C.B.S.E. National Swimming Championship held in Chennai
2019 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Nomination
Sharma was nominated for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year award with the following nomination:
Bhakti Sharma has launched a professional career in education and motivational speaking as she inspires the next generation of girls and young women. Her message is based on her success as a channel swimmer, marathon swimmer and ice swimmer in her teenage years, and is delivered by multilingual digital platforms. She has given 4 TEDx Talks and 1 TED Talk on the main platform, numerous TV interviews and public speeches extolling the benefits of a life of adventure, courageousness and resilience. She positively impacts countless individuals as she shares her early aquatic exploits from Antarctica to the English Channel with audiences around the world. She started Swim to Educate initiative in India and has now expanded her message of inspiration to span from India to the U.S. For helping transform lives of students and young people with a message of hope, for sharing her dreams in the digital space and in college classrooms, for her eloquent and passionate talks given in an authentic genuine voice, Bhakti Sharma is a worthy nominee for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
Tedx Talks
Pride of India - Challenging The Conventional by Bhakti Sharma at TEDxSIBMBangalore on 20 May 2012 at the age of 19
Fighting against odds by Bhakti Sharma at TEDxNMIMS on 22 April 2014 at the age of 21
From desert to Antarctica - a swimmer's journey and lessons learnt by Bhakti Sharma at TEDxIIMUdaipur on 30 March 2015 at the age of 22
Nayi Baat by Bhakti Sharma at TED Talks India on 3 November 2019
What open water swimming taught me about resilience by Bhakti Sharma at TED Talks Mumbai India on 4 November 2019
2014 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Nomination
Sharma was nominated for the 2014 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
Nomination
"Bhakti Sharma of India is one of those hard-to-believe young individuals who inspire people of all ages and from all backgrounds. Despite her training grounds in the desert state of Rajasthan, the young woman has a comprehensive track record of success including ice swims in the Arctic Ocean, marathon swims from Florida to India, and a solo swim and relay crossing of the English Channel. But she wanted her aquatic exploits to make a difference in other people’s lives besides her own. Her Swim to Educate initiative in India will continue to establish her legacy of inspiring and helping girls receive or extend their schooling opportunities. For her passionate calling to champion girls' education in India, for her creative platform that serves as a catalyst for school reform, for her eloquent passionate, public appeals and speeches on these topics, all described within her prowess and experiences as a versatile open water swimmer, Bhakti Sharma is a worthy nominee for the 2014 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.''
2014 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Nominees
1. Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil), FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup Champion
2. Bhakti Sharma (India), Marathon Swimmer & Educational Reformist
3. Carina Bruwer (South Africa), Freestyling Flautist
4. Chloë McCardel (Australia), Marathon Swimmer & Coach
5. Colleen Mallon (Ireland), Channel Swimmer & Volunteer
6. Elaine Howley (USA), Communicator, Organizer, Swimmer
7. Kimberley Chambers (New Zealand), Oceans Seven Swimmer
8. Nataliya Fatyanova, M.D. (Russia), Ice Swimming Researcher & Physician
9. Pilar Geijo (Argentina), FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix Co-Champion
10. Sharon van Rouwendaal (Netherlands), 2-time European Champion
11. Sylvia Rybárová (Czech Republic), FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix Co-Champion
12. Susan Simmons (Canada), Marathon Swimmer with Multiple Sclerosis
World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women
She was named to the list of World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women by the World Open Water Swimming Association in 2015.
External links
- National Honors Awarded to Open Water Swimmers
- Open Water Swimmers Conferred with the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
- Open Water Swimming
- Arctic, Antarctica, BiPolar Ice Swimmers Announced by the International Ice Swimming Association
- Breaking Distance In The Ice
- How Cold Can Cold Get?
- Paul Georgescu Sets Another World Record
- Zero Ice Miles In Antarctica And Around The World
- 2019 WOWSA Award Winners Announced
- Mariel Hawley Dávila Is 2019 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year
- Bhakti Sharma Joins Open Water Luminaries At TED Talks
- Gaurvi Singhvi Joins Open Water Luminaries At TED Talks
- Ram In Redondo: Barkai On The Beauty Of The Ice
- The World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women
- Bhakti Sharma website
- Bhakti Sharma, From Mumbai To The Bottom Of The Earth
- 2014 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nominees
- 2014 World Open Water Swimming Woman Of The Year Nominees
- 2014 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year Nominees
- 2014 WOWSA Awards Nominees
- 2014 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Nominees
- Dr. Nataliya Fatyanova, 2014 World Open Water Swimming Woman Of The Year
- Prime Minister Congratulates Bhakti Sharma
- How Low Can They Go?
- The New Arctic Presents Challenges
- Bhakti Sharma Leaves the Frigid Waters of Antarctica to Pursue New Dreams at UF
