Jiya Rai, an Indian para-swimmer suffering from autism, has set a new record by crossing the Bakjala Junction in 13 hours from Sri Lanka's Thalaimannar to Arichalmunai in Dhanushkodi on Sunday.

Rai, daughter of Madan Rai, an Indian naval officer in Mumbai, suffered from autism spectrum disorder and speech delay when she was two years old and started swimming training on the advice of a doctor. She holds the world record for the most special woman to swim in the open water at a speed of 14 km/hour.