Arati Saha

Athlete IDATH-1000719

INDIndiaSport:Swimming

Biography

Arati Saha, also known as Arati Gupta after marriage, was an Indian swimmer born in Calcutta on 24 September 1940. She began swimming as a young child and developed into a national competitor before representing India in the 200 metres breaststroke at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

Her ambitions later moved from the pool to the English Channel. She drew encouragement from Brojen Das and the example of Mihir Sen, both successful Channel swimmers. After an unsuccessful earlier attempt, she completed the France-to-England crossing on 29 September 1959. The recorded swim lasted 16 hours and 20 minutes, from Cap Gris-Nez to Sandgate, and made her the first Asian woman to cross the Channel.

Saha received the Padma Shri in 1960. Her achievement remained part of India’s sporting memory: a commemorative postage stamp followed in 1999, five years after her death.

English Channel record

First Asian woman across the Channel · 29 September 1959

Also recorded as Arati Gupta.

Crossing details, recordings & verification

Also known as: Arati Gupta (née Saha)
Born: 24 September 1940, Calcutta (now Kolkata), India
Died: 23 August 1994
Olympic appearance: Helsinki 1952 — women’s 200 metres breaststroke
Channel distinction: First Asian woman to swim the English Channel
National honour: Padma Shri, 1960

Selected Channel swims

First Asian woman’s English Channel crossing

Solo swim

Tuesday, 29 September 1959 (completion)

France → England

Elapsed time · 16h 20m

Start clock · Clock time not confirmed

Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed

Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.

Other events & swims

Helsinki Olympics — women’s 200 m breaststroke

Pool swimming · Race

Saturday, 26 July 1952 (event date)

Helsinki, Finland

Completed heat 3 in 3:40.8, sixth in that heat and 33rd overall; did not advance.

Published distance · 200 m

Placing / category · 33rd overall; 6th in heat 3

Historical account checked · Details and qualifications are in the career evidence.

Career milestones

Helsinki Olympics

1952

Represented India in the women’s 200 metres breaststroke.

English Channel success

29 September 1959

Completed a France-to-England solo in 16 hours 20 minutes.

Padma Shri

1960

Received India’s Padma Shri honour.

Commemorative stamp

1999

India’s Department of Posts commemorated her on a postage stamp.

English Channel questions

Which English Channel swims are included for Arati Saha?: This profile includes 1 selected solo performance for Arati Saha. It is a selected history, not a complete career total. A continuous multi-way swim counts as one performance.
When was Arati Saha’s featured English Channel swim?: The featured swim finished on Tuesday, 29 September 1959. Its exact start date is not confirmed here.
How long did Arati Saha’s featured Channel swim take?: The featured solo crossing has a published elapsed time of 16 hours and 20 minutes.

Achievements & next milestones

Achievements update from recorded results. A tick means the supporting results are verified.

No eligible completed results are linked yet. Link a completed result to start the achievement collection.

Next milestones

First recorded finish
1 more finish needed
0 of 1 recorded

Latest results

Selected swimming performances appear in the English Channel record above.

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