INDIndia

Prabhat Koli

English Channel at sixteen · Triple Crown · Oceans Seven completed in 2023

Also recorded as Prabhat Raju Koli.

Also known as: Prabhat Raju Koli
Home city: Mumbai, India
Date of birth: 27 July 1999, according to Guinness World Records
Channel debut: 20 September 2015, age 16 · 13:14:00
Channel trainers: Kishore Patil and Sally Minty Gravett, as named in the federation record
National honour: 2018 Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for Water Adventure; presented in 2019
Oceans Seven: Completed 1 March 2023; the overall youngest-person record was surpassed in October 2024

Biography

Prabhat Koli, also identified as Prabhat Raju Koli, is an Indian open water swimmer based in Mumbai. In a 2023 interview he recalled discovering his aptitude for long distances at eleven, when a 14-kilometre river swim drew his coach's attention to his patience and endurance. His later international programme brought together Channel swimming, other major sea passages and continued work with younger swimmers.

On 20 September 2015, aged sixteen, Koli completed an England-to-France Channel solo in 13 hours 14 minutes. The federation's historical record names Reg Brickell Jr aboard Viking Princess, observer Phil Collins, and trainers Kishore Patil and Sally Minty Gravett. It attributes the swim's ratification to the Channel Swimming Association. His English Channel success subsequently formed part of the Triple Crown, completed with Catalina and Manhattan swims by 2017.

Koli received the 2018 Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for Water Adventure at the national awards ceremony on 29 August 2019. On 1 March 2023 he completed the Oceans Seven by crossing Cook Strait. Guinness records that achievement at 23 years 217 days; Caitlin O'Reilly surpassed his overall youngest-person mark in October 2024. Later in 2023, Koli described studying sports business administration while helping around twenty younger swimmers improve their strokes.

Selected Channel swim records

English Channel solo at sixteen

Ratification reported by source

Recorded swim date · Sunday, 20 September 2015 · Start or finish date not specified by the source

Elapsed swim time · 13h 14m 0s

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 · Individual record 444962 reports departure 02:54:00 and arrival 16:08:00. Its date is a generic swim date; the phases and clock standard are not separately dated or specified.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · England → France

Pilot / piloting team · Reg Brickell Jr

Escort vessel · Viking Princess

Official observers · Phil Collins

Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association — reported by CS&PF

How this record was checked

CS&PF historical individual record 444962, Name through Trainer fields, matches Prabhat Koli, India, age 16, 20 September 2015, one-way E-F and 13:14:00, and explicitly attributes ratification to CSA. Named crew and trainers support the athlete-specific match. This is reported CSA ratification, not inspection of a direct CSA decision or original observer log.

CS&PF: Prabhat Koli, 20 September 2015

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Individual record 444962: India, age 16, date, 13:14:00, E-F, clocks, Reg Brickell Jr, Viking Princess, Phil Collins and trainers Kishore Patil and Sally Minty Gravett; ratifier CSA.

Limitations · Federation-hosted historical attribution to CSA; direct CSA decision and observer log were not inspected. No separately dated departure or arrival.

Career milestones

English Channel at sixteen

Sunday, 20 September 2015

Completed the one-way England-to-France swim in 13:14:00.

Triple Crown completion

2017

WOWSA's coach-attributed report connects his Channel and Catalina crossings with the Manhattan swim.

National adventure award presented

Thursday, 29 August 2019

Received the 2018 Tenzing Norgay award for Water Adventure at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Completed the Oceans Seven

Wednesday, 1 March 2023

Guinness records his completion at 23 years 217 days after Cook Strait.

Overall age record surpassed

Thursday, 24 October 2024

Guinness records Caitlin O'Reilly as the younger overall Oceans Seven completer.

Recordings & media

Prabhat Koli: sponsored-athlete profile

Open media page

Athlete media

Airavat's named athlete biography identifying Koli and its sponsorship relationship.

Link checked 2026-10-31

Prabhat Koli discusses his Oceans Seven journey

Open media page

Interview

Written interview published 31 August 2023; no video or audio playback is claimed.

Link checked 2026-10-31

English Channel questions

Which English Channel swims are included for Prabhat Koli?: This profile includes 1 selected solo performance for Prabhat Koli. It is a selected history, not a complete career total. A continuous multi-way swim counts as one performance.
When was Prabhat Koli’s featured English Channel swim?: The featured swim is recorded on Sunday, 20 September 2015. The source does not establish whether that date means departure or arrival.
How long did Prabhat Koli’s featured Channel swim take?: The featured solo crossing has a published elapsed time of 13 hours, 14 minutes and 0 seconds.

Limitations · Page marks the record category inactive. The 2023 overall record is described as historical, not current.

Latest source review 2026-10-31.