Sports

FIRST EVER SOLO SWIMMNG BY A COUPLE FROM SRI LANKA TO INDIA 2026

The First Ever Couple Vrushali Prasade and her husband Danish Abdi the Open Water Swim from Sri Lanka Talaimannar to Dhanushkodi in India will be starting on the 6th of May from Talaimannar Pier and the press conference was held at Kingsbury Hotel on Friday. Here Mrs. Vrushali Prasade seen addressing the media on ( second from right) while from (extreme left to right) Mr. Arshad Ammer, Director Chief Executive Officer Flash Health, Mr. Danish Abdi the Husband and the swimmer and Mr. Jithu Jose, Group Consultant International Healthcare Services and Strategic Partnerships of Manipal Hospitals look on. ( PICTURE BY -HERBERT PERERA)

TEXT AND PICTURE BY -HERBERT PERERA

The first ever solo couple open water swim side by side Vrushali Prasade and Danish Abdi, is set to traverse the legendary swim from Sri Lanka to India across the historic Ram Setu route, symbolically connecting the two nations through a powerful demonstration of resilience, unity and shared heritage from Thalamannar Pier to Dhanush Kodi in India, on the 6th of May.

Speaking to the media the Vrushali said We married in 2021 and went to Maldives for our honeymoon and we are the first ever couple to swim solo from Sri Lanka to India. And we practiced open water swimming and we did triathlons swimathons. We swam from England to France and also swam Sri Lanka to India in a relay and all of these just in a spam of 4 years and now in 2026, is going to be the year for us starting with the fresh swim from Sri Lanka to India. Asking about whether they found sharks while swimming her husband Dankish said they didn’t find any sharks but lot of dolphins and the dangerous Gel Fish while swimming he said. Last year 30 kilo meters relay swim it took us 9 hours to complete the swim Vrushali said.
They both are engineers in education and selected the solo swimming as a couple and continues with it. Sharing her thoughts, Vrushali and Danish expressed enthusiasm about the challenge “We are excited to take on this unique expedition and are proud to align it with a message of health and wellness. This expedition stands as a powerful symbol of unity connecting two nations through sport, healthcare and shared ambition.
Announcing the initiative Mr. Karthik Rajagopal, Chief Operating Officer, Manipal Health Enterprises Limited said, this historic swim reflects not only athletic excellence and endurance but also the deep-rooted cultural and historical connection between India and Sri Lanka. He further remarked that as India continues to be one of the preferred destinations for Sri Lanka patients this initiative also serves as a reinforces India’s health-connect effort through its robust Sri Lanka patient connect,

through clinical support ensuring athletes’ physiological safety, cardiac endurance, and musculoskeletal preparedness.

More than an athletic feat, this initiative celebrates the deep cultural ties between India and Sri Lanka, a reminder that while borders may exist, there is far more than binds us together.
Mr. Jithu Jose, Group Consultant – International Healthcare Service and Ms. Veena Suram from Manipal Hospitals and athletes attended for the Press briefing was held at Kingsbury Hotel on Friday. Demonstrating its continued commitment to world-class service, The Kingsbury Hotel Colombo has partnered as the Sri Lankan Hospitality Partner for the event. With a network of 12,367 licensed beds as on September, 30, 2025, Manipal Hospitals is recognized for its advanced medical expertise, multispecialty care and commitment to patient centric care and is well connected to Sri Lanka’s medical and patient community especially for spine and oncology services.