8-yr-old girl swims 15 hours non-stop

Ghaziabad:

An eight-year-old girl, who swam 15 hours without stopping to cover a distance of 38 km in the swimming pool of a school here Tuesday, said she aims to represent India at the London Olympics.

Saira Sirohi, a class 5 student of Dehradun Public School in Ghaziabad, entered the school pool at 5 a.m. Tuesday and swam continuously for the next 15 hours.

"If United States can produce a champion like Michael Phelps, why can't India? I want to be part of the next Olympics at London. And before that, I want to represent my country at 2010 Commonwealth Games," said Saira.

"I just wanted to swim and do something for my country," Saira told this correspondent.

Saira swam 380 laps covering 38,000 metres of the 25 X 25 metres swimming pool and completed the distance in fifteen hours.

She nibbled chocolates, biscuits and nuts from the hands of her teachers, principal, mother, sisters and her closest friends. She also sipped energy drinks at intervals.

School principal Richa Sood said: "It's a great moment for us. I will personally approach the Sports Authority of India to provide proper coaching to my student in order to prepare her for the under-14 category at Commonwealth and London Olympics."