The WOWSA Awards, recognised as the highest global honours in the field of open-water swimming, were established in 2008
Jiya Rai. Pic/Defence PRO Mumbai
Jiya Rai, the daughter of a serving naval sailor, has made history by winning the prestigious World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) Award 2024 in the category of Adaptive Performance of the Year. The WOWSA Awards, recognised as the highest global honours in the field of open-water swimming, were established in 2008. This year’s winners were announced on February 17, 2025, in San Francisco, California. Jiya Rai’s achievement marks a significant milestone as she becomes the first Indian open-water swimmer to receive this esteemed award.
Jiya Rai's extraordinary journey in open water swimming has been marked by remarkable feats of endurance and perseverance. On July 28, 2024, she successfully swam across the English Channel, covering a distance of 34 kilometres in 17 hours and 25 minutes. This incredible achievement made her the youngest female para-swimmer in the world to complete a solo swim across the English Channel. In addition, Jiya became the first girl with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the history of open-water swimming to accomplish this feat.
Her accomplishments have earned her numerous accolades, including the National Award for Disability in 2023 and the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2022, India’s highest civilian award for individuals under the age of 18.
In a celebration of endurance, courage, and global community, the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) honoured the exceptional achievements of athletes, organisers, and contributors in the open water swimming world through the 2024 WOWSA Awards. Recognising excellence across six categories, these awards highlighted those who have significantly advanced the sport over the past year.
This year, 849 individuals nominated 177 remarkable candidates. The 83-member WOWSA Awards Voting Academy and Advisory Board carefully evaluated the nominations, narrowing them down to 10 finalists per category. The final winners emerged through a combination of Academy votes and over 6000 public votes, underscoring the community’s active engagement in celebrating its most outstanding members.
“The WOWSA Awards honour the extraordinary individuals whose dedication and resilience shape the global open water swimming community,” said Quinn Fitzgerald, WOWSA Executive Director. “These nominees have made a profound impact on the sport, and we are privileged to celebrate them as true ambassadors of open-water swimming.”
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