Rupali Repale

Rupali Repale was born in Mumbai, the daughter of Ramdas Repale and Rekha Repale, who were small-scale business owners from a modest financial background. Born in rural Pune, both the parents moved to Mumbai city in 1970s shortly before their marriage and settled in Bhandup, a suburb of Mumbai. Rupali completed her schooling at Bright High School & Junior College Bhandup-(west) and went on to graduate with a degree in sociology from Mumbai University. Rupali started swimming at an early age and soon developed a penchant for it. She showed remarkable stamina even at an early age and could swim for hours at a stretch. Noticed by her coaches and later backed by her father, she soon started training for long-distance events and later in the open waters. Apart from swimming, she also participates in Triathlon events and has achieved many accolades in it as well. ==Swimming career==

• 1994: English Channel, England to France, 34 kilometers in 16 hours and 7 minutes. Youngest Swimmer for the year 1994. • 1995: Mumbai to Dharamtar two-way Gateway of India swim, 72 kilometers in 21 hours and 30 minutes. • 1995: Sri Lanka to India, 40 kilometers in 11 hours and 5 minutes. • 1996: Bass Strait, Phillip Bay to Melbourne, 65 kilometers in 17 hours, required swimming within the confines of a cage due to the shark-infested nature of the strait. • 1998: Cook Strait, Pegano Head to Waipiro Bay (New Zealand), 80 kilometers in 19 hours 44 minutes, record for the longest successful swim in first attempt • 2000: Three Anchor Bay to Robben Island (South Africa) two-way. 30 kilometers in 7 hrs. ==Awards and honors==

• National Youth Award awarded by then President of India late Hon. Shankar Dayal Sharma, Bhopal 1995. • Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award awarded by then Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (India) Hon. Uma Bharti, New Delhi 1999. • HIMA Foundation Award awarded by then Governor of Maharashtra late Hon. Dr. P C Alexander, Mumbai 1995. • Sagar Kanya title conferred upon by the Government of Maharashtra. • Dolphin Queen title conferred upon by the Government of New Zealand. ==Present activities==

Rupali is the founder and director of Rupali Industries, a water purification based home appliance company. In her spare time she likes to coach young talent at local swimming pools. ==Books on Rupali==

• Biographical book Jal Akramile (Marathi) written by Sumedh Vadavala and published by Rajhans Prakashans. • Excerpt from Rupali's book is included in the Maharashtra state school curriculum to encourage youth involvement in sports. ==References==