Fact Check: Did Satendra Lohiya really become first Asian Para Swimmer to swim across Cook Strait?

Earlier this week, the open water swimming community in India was abuzz with news that Satendra Singh Lohiya had become the first Asian para swimmer to cross the Cook Strait in New Zealand. Celebrations and congratulatory messages poured in across the country on social media.

However, a deeper look into the achievement by The Bridge has revealed that the solo swim claimed by Lohiya was never ratified by the New Zealand Open Water Swimming Association (NZOWSA), the region’s official governing body.

It is also learnt that Lohiya, who is a Padma Shri awardee, was part of a relay team that completed the swim on 12 February, 2026, with each swimmer taking turns of 30 minutes.

However, the rules and regulations of the World Open Water Swimming Association state that Cook Strait relay teams must follow strict marathon swimming guidelines. As per this, a relay team can have up to six swimmers, rotating in a fixed order with one-hour stints.

The same was confirmed by NZOWSA President Simon Olliver in an email dated 18 February, 2026, which is in possession of this publication.

"Mr Lohiya’s swim was not on one of our boats and hence we are not the ratifying organisation for his relay swim," the email read.

"We have also seen social media posts (and confirmed with his NZ team members) that his relay was using 30-minute rotations. This is not permitted under our rules. If another organisation ratifies his relay swim, we will not recognise it as we follow the Channel Swimming Association relay rules."

The e-mail further noted that two of India's Lohiya's teammates formed a new relay team in a second attempt and successfully crossed the Cook Strait.

"However his two teammates from India on his first attempt did form a new relay team and successfully completed the crossing the Cook Strait. This relay team did comply with NOZWSA rules and will be ratified," the email read.

"Mr Lohiya's pilot was Phil Rush and he runs his own ratifying organisation for his swims. NZOWSA is independent of any polit and all of its observers are unpaid volunteers," it added.

Who were the two Indians to complete the relay swim?

The two teammates from India to complete the relay swim were Queeni Victoriya Gandam and her 22-year-old son Stephen Kumar.

The mother-son duo were part of a six-member relay team that completed the challenging 27.4-km open-water swim on February 9.

They swam from South to North in 8 hours 57 minutes and 18 seconds.

Queeni and Stephen were originally part of the Maithili Foundation relay team with Lohiya as team coordinator and made their first attempt on January 28.

They set out from North to South, but the swim was abandoned midway due to challenging weather conditions.

Accusations of mismanagement against Lohiya

Queeni accussed Lohiya of mismanagement, poor communication and not introducing team members at official events. She also claimed that Lohiya excluded them from a Republic Day event at the Indian Embassy while questioning his decisions regarding swim logistics and safety.

"Satendra (Lohiya) initially informed us that there will be a five-member relay team. Then it was reduced to four members," she said. "Later, on the day of our swim, one swimmer was rejected by officials even before the swim began.

"On the same day two teams successfully completed their swim (South to North). But we went North to South against strong tides, which made it extremely difficult. The crew was not following the open water protocols and improperly instructing us," she added.

Queeni further alleged that the organiser encouraged them to pay for another slot (around 11,000 NZD) and add additional swimmers.

The Bridge has reached out to Lohiya for his version of the events. This article will be updated as and when he responds.

Lohiya abandons teammates?

After the unsuccessful first attempt, Lohiya went out in search of new teammates.

On January 30, a message was circulated among the NZ community (Picton area), stating that a three-member relay team from India is looking for a fourth member to join them on their Cook Strait crossing on Sunday. Interested parties were asked to get in touch with Lohiya.

The local, who posted it, ended with a disclaimer: "I don’t know any of the swimmers personally."

It was with this particular team that Lohiya completed the Cook Strait Relay, with each member swimming for 30 minutes as opposed to the one-hour requirement as per Channel Swimming Association.

Queeni, meanwhile, extended her stay and with the help of her daughter arranged another attempt through a different organiser along with Stephen.

This time they went from South to North in a successful finish, which was ratified by the New Zealand Open Water Swimming Association.

Cook Strait is one of the Seven Ocean swims and NZOWSA is officially recognised by the World Open Water Swimming Association as a ratifying body for marathon swims including the Cook Strait.