PAKPakistan

Brojen Das

First Asian Channel swimmer · Six successful crossings

Born: 9 December 1927
Birthplace: Kuchiamora, Bikrampur, Munshiganj — now Bangladesh
Historical country in records: Pakistan; his home region was East Pakistan during his Channel career
Successful Channel crossings: Six, completed between 1958 and 1961
King of the Channel: 1960–1974
Hall of Fame: International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, 1965

Biography

Brojen Das was born on 9 December 1927 in Kuchiamora, in the region now known as Bangladesh. His Channel career took place while that region was East Pakistan, and his country is recorded as Pakistan. He developed his swimming in the rivers around Dhaka before taking on international marathon races.

In 1958 Das became the first Asian swimmer to cross the English Channel, finishing first among the men in that year’s Channel race. Further crossings followed, bringing his total to six by 1961. His France-to-England swim that September took 10 hours and 35 minutes and established a speed record that stood until 1964.

Das held the CSA’s King of the Channel title from 1960 to 1974. He entered the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965.

Selected Channel swim records

First successful Channel crossing, 1958

Sources disagree

Elapsed swim time · 14h 52m

Duration of the complete swim

Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Timing note · Only the year is displayed here. Published historical accounts disagree about the exact August date, and the inspected CSA individual record supplies no day or month.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · France → England

Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association — public record inspected

How this record was checked

CSA individual record 2272 supplies Pakistan, France-to-England, 1958 and 14:52. The exact date remains unresolved. This is a check of the public CSA entry, not of an original observer’s report.

Channel Swimming Association: Brojen Das, 1958

Checked 2026-10-30

Channel Swimming Association: Brojen Das, King of the Channel

Checked 2026-10-30

France-to-England record — 21 September 1961

Published account checked

Recorded swim date · Thursday, 21 September 1961 · Start or finish date not specified by the source

Elapsed swim time · 10h 35m

Duration of the complete swim

Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Timing note · Dover publishes 21 September 1961 as the swim date without identifying it explicitly as departure or arrival date. It provides no start or finish clock times, so neither clock nor an inferred overnight date is added.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · France → England

Ratification / historical recognition · CSA is identified by Dover’s record; original ratification paperwork not inspected

How this record was checked

The individual Dover record supplies the date, direction, Pakistan and 10:35. The Hall of Fame biography independently confirms the 1961 France-to-England speed record and duration. A direct CSA entry for this specific crossing was not inspected.

Dover.uk.com: Brojen Das, 21 September 1961

Checked 2026-10-30

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame: Brojen Das biography

Checked 2026-10-30

Other events & swims

Capri–Naples marathon swim

Open-water swimming · Race

1958 · exact day not confirmed

Capri to Naples, Italy

Completed the Capri-to-Naples race.

Elapsed time · 13h 18m

Historical account checked

How this event was checked

IMSHOF’s own honoree biography, page 1, reports the 1958 finish in 13:18 and explicitly connects Das with his English Channel achievements. It provides neither exact race date nor placing.

IMSHOF — Brojen Das, honoree biography

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Page 1: Channel identity and Capri–Naples completions.

Limitations · Exact race dates and placings are not given.

Capri–Naples marathon swim

Open-water swimming · Race

1959 · exact day not confirmed

Capri to Naples, Italy

Completed the race again in 1959.

Historical account checked

How this event was checked

IMSHOF’s page 1 explicitly lists a second Capri–Naples completion in 1959. It does not give that year’s time, exact day or placing; the 1958 duration is not reused.

IMSHOF — Brojen Das, honoree biography

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Page 1: Channel identity and Capri–Naples completions.

Limitations · Exact race dates and placings are not given.

Career milestones

First Asian Channel swimmer

1958

Completed the crossing and finished first among the men in the Channel race.

King of the Channel

1960

Became the first swimmer to reach four successful CSA Channel crossings.

France-to-England speed record

21 September 1961

Completed the France-to-England record swim in 10 hours 35 minutes.

Hall of Fame induction

1965

Recognised as an Honor Swimmer by the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

Recordings & media

No reviewed recording is available for this entry.

English Channel questions

Which English Channel swims are included for Brojen Das?: This profile includes 2 selected solo performances for Brojen Das. It is a selected history, not a complete career total. A continuous multi-way swim counts as one performance.
When was Brojen Das’s featured English Channel swim?: The featured swim took place in 1958. Its exact day is not confirmed here. Conflicting details are identified in the crossing record.
How long did Brojen Das’s featured Channel swim take?: The featured solo crossing has a published elapsed time of 14 hours and 52 minutes. Published sources disagree about details of this swim; the crossing record explains the differences.

Biography sources