INDIndia
Rashmi Sharma
Three recorded one-way Channel completions · 2006, 2007 and 2009
View athlete profileBiography
Rashmi Sharma is an Indian open-water swimmer associated with Kolkata’s Kidderpore area. Her Channel record includes three England-to-France completions: 11 hours 47 minutes in 2006, 13 hours 6 minutes in 2007 and 13 hours 50 minutes in 2009. The federation’s historical entries list India and attribute each swim to the Channel Swimming Association.
Her 2007 season also brought the Rosemary George Trophy for a meritorious CSA swim. An October UNI interview reported that an August return-crossing attempt had remained unfinished because of bad weather, but did not identify the attempt’s day. That report does not establish its relationship to the dated one-way result. In the same interview she explained that she had chosen long-distance swimming for the opportunities it offered and described the difficulty of finding sponsors.
Sharma subsequently shared international challenges with her sister Richa. The Indian Express reported their Gibraltar crossing in August 2009, followed by Rashmi’s third Channel success. Its reported completion day differs from the generic date in the federation record, a distinction retained here. After returning to Kolkata, she again spoke about the uncertainty that inadequate financial backing created for future swims.
By September 2011, the sisters had also completed an Algoa Bay swim in South Africa, according to a contemporary PTI report.
Selected Channel swim records
First listed Channel completion
Ratification reported by source
Recorded swim date · Wednesday, 19 July 2006 · Start or finish date not specified by the source
Elapsed swim time · 11h 47m 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
Format · Solo · 1-way
Direction · England to France
Pilot / piloting team · Reg Brickell Jr
Escort vessel · Viking Princess
Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association
How this record was checked
Inspected CS&PF historical entry 444031: Rashmi Sharma, India, 1 Way, 19 July 2006, 11:47:00; ratifying organisation CSA. Dover’s athlete profile and the Indian statistical bulletin also list the performance. No original CSA decision or observer log was inspected.
CS&PF historical record: Rashmi Sharma, 2006
Checked 2026-10-31
Dover Channel Swimming: Rashmi Sharma athlete profile
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Actual swimmer profile: Indian nationality, three listed one-way swims and 2007 Rosemary George Trophy.
India Swimming Statistical Bulletin 2024: Indian English Channel swimmers
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Printed page C51, rows 37, 40 and 44 list Sharma’s three crossings; the footnote records her 2007 Rosemary George Trophy.
Second one-way Channel completion
Ratification reported by source
Recorded as one-way. A separate report describes an unfinished August two-way attempt; its linkage to this entry is unconfirmed.
Recorded swim date · Friday, 24 August 2007 · Start or finish date not specified by the source
Elapsed swim time · 13h 6m 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
Format · Solo · 1-way
Direction · England to France
Pilot / piloting team · Fred Mardle
Escort vessel · Samallen P40
Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association
How this record was checked
Inspected CS&PF historical entry 444134: Rashmi Sharma, India, 1 Way, 24 August 2007, 13:06:00, CSA attribution and Fred Mardle/Samallen P40. UNI’s October interview separately describes an unfinished two-way attempt in August but does not give its date. Its linkage to this individual entry is unconfirmed; no completed two-way is claimed.
CS&PF historical record: Rashmi Sharma, 2007
Checked 2026-10-31
Dover Channel Swimming: Rashmi Sharma athlete profile
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Actual swimmer profile: Indian nationality, three listed one-way swims and 2007 Rosemary George Trophy.
UNI / OneIndia: English Channel swimmer looking for sponsors, October 2007
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Contemporary interview: two completed crossings, ambitions and weather-shortened return attempt in August.
Limitations · Future plans are not completion evidence.
India Swimming Statistical Bulletin 2024: Indian English Channel swimmers
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Printed page C51, rows 37, 40 and 44 list Sharma’s three crossings; the footnote records her 2007 Rosemary George Trophy.
Third one-way Channel completion
Sources disagree
Federation record dated 13 August; contemporary reporting gives completion on 14 August. Departure date unconfirmed.
Recorded swim date · Thursday, 13 August 2009 · Start or finish date not specified by the source
Elapsed swim time · 13h 50m 0s
Duration of the complete swim
Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Finished · Friday, 14 August 2009 · Clock time not confirmed
Timing note · CS&PF’s generic Date field is retained as recordDate. The Indian Express explicitly reports completion on 14 August, retained as finishDate. Neither source establishes a departure date, so an overnight crossing is not inferred.
Format · Solo · 1-way
Direction · England to France
Pilot / piloting team · Reg Brickell Jr
Escort vessel · Viking Princess
Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association
How this record was checked
Inspected CS&PF historical entry 444298: Rashmi Sharma, India, 1 Way, 13 August 2009, 13:50:00 and CSA attribution. The Indian Express article of 20 August, paragraph beginning “Rashmi and Richa together”, explicitly gives 14 August as the Channel completion date. Both source roles are preserved; elapsed time itself is not disputed by that report.
CS&PF historical record: Rashmi Sharma, 2009
Checked 2026-10-31
Dover Channel Swimming: Rashmi Sharma athlete profile
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Actual swimmer profile: Indian nationality, three listed one-way swims and 2007 Rosemary George Trophy.
The Indian Express: Swimming sisters Rashmi, Richa rue lack of funds, 20 August 2009
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Contemporary interview, Gibraltar swim with Richa, and Channel completion reported on 14 August.
Limitations · The reported completion day differs from the federation’s generic 13 August date; the departure date is unresolved.
India Swimming Statistical Bulletin 2024: Indian English Channel swimmers
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Printed page C51, rows 37, 40 and 44 list Sharma’s three crossings; the footnote records her 2007 Rosemary George Trophy.
