INDIndia

Mihir Sen

1958 English Channel solo · 14 hours 45 minutes

Born: 1930
Country in Channel record: India
Profession: Lawyer; joined the Calcutta High Court in 1956
Channel route: England → France
Channel elapsed time: 14 hours 45 minutes
Hall of Fame: International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, 1966

Biography

Mihir Sen was an Indian swimmer whose sporting career combined a Channel crossing with an unusually wide range of long-distance swims. Born in 1930, he trained as a lawyer and joined the Calcutta High Court in 1956. His English Channel crossing followed in September 1958: he completed an England-to-France solo in 14 hours and 45 minutes.

Sen subsequently pursued a series of swims across internationally significant waterways. During 1966 he crossed the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. He also swam the Panama Canal that October. These achievements within one calendar year demonstrate the geographical breadth of his marathon swimming career.

The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame lists Sen among its 1966 inductees, recognising a career that extended well beyond his English Channel achievement.

Selected Channel swim records

1958 England-to-France solo

Ratifying body's record checked

Elapsed swim time · 14h 45m

Duration of the complete swim

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

Finished · Saturday, 27 September 1958 · Clock time not confirmed

Timing note · Completion date comes from the anniversary account. CSA publishes the year and elapsed duration; exact departure and arrival clock times are not established by these inspected sources.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · England → France

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

How this record was checked

CSA individual record 2474 was inspected and supplies country, direction, year and elapsed time. The Telegraph supplies the completion date. This checks published records; it does not imply inspection of an original observer log.

Channel Swimming Association: Mihir Sen, 1958

Checked 2026-10-30

The Telegraph: Mihir Sen anniversary profile

Checked 2026-10-30

Other events & swims

Palk Strait

Open-water swimming · Solo swim

Tuesday, 5 April 1966 – Wednesday, 6 April 1966

Palk Strait, Sri Lanka–India

Completed the crossing between Sri Lanka and India.

Historical account checked

How this event was checked

The Nehru Archive’s biographical entry identifies Sen’s English Channel career and dates the Palk Strait swim to 5–6 April 1966. No original log or consistent primary elapsed time was available in this review.

Nehru Archive — Mihir Sen

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · 1966 crossing dates and English Channel career identity.

Limitations · Historical biographical note; no original observation log or elapsed time provided.

Strait of Gibraltar

Open-water swimming · Solo swim

Wednesday, 24 August 1966 (event date)

Strait of Gibraltar

Completed the Europe–Africa crossing.

Historical account checked

How this event was checked

The Nehru Archive identifies the Channel swimmer and lists this Gibraltar success on 24 August 1966. Its entry does not provide elapsed time or an observation report.

Nehru Archive — Mihir Sen

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · 1966 crossing dates and English Channel career identity.

Limitations · Historical biographical note; no original observation log or elapsed time provided.

Career milestones

Legal career

1956

Joined the Calcutta High Court after training as a lawyer.

English Channel completion

27 September 1958

Completed his England-to-France solo in 14 hours 45 minutes.

Palk Strait swim

1966-04-05 – 1966-04-06

Swam between India and Sri Lanka.

Panama Canal swim

1966-10-29 – 1966-10-31

Added the Panama Canal to his 1966 long-distance achievements.

Marathon swimming recognition

1966

Inducted into 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 Mihir Sen?: This profile includes 1 selected solo performance for Mihir Sen. It is a selected history, not a complete career total. A continuous multi-way swim counts as one performance.
When was Mihir Sen’s featured English Channel swim?: The featured swim finished on Saturday, 27 September 1958. Its exact start date is not confirmed here.
How long did Mihir Sen’s featured Channel swim take?: The featured solo crossing has a published elapsed time of 14 hours and 45 minutes.

Biography sources