Website of Brojen Das courtesy of Dr. Sanjoy Kumar Pal.
1956 Pakistani Olympian Brojen Das (Bengali: ব্রজেন দাস) (1927 – 1998) was unique among swimmers for the opportunities that resulted from his swimming achievements. He was able to meet leaders from Great Britain to Pakistan to the USA.
Das received the Pride of Performance, one of the highest awards conferred by the Government of Pakistan on Pakistani civilians in recognition of distinguished meritorious work in the fields of literature, arts, sports, medicine, and science. The announcement of this award is made once a year on Pakistan’s Independence Day and are conferred by the President of Pakistan at a ceremony that takes place on the following Pakistan Day.
Das met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother after his last channel crossing in 1961. He also met American President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 during his visit to the USA.
Das was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965 as an Honour Swimmer. He was the first Asian to swim across the English Channel when he succeeded in 1958. He crossed the English Channel a total of 6 times to become King of the Channel® from 1960 to 1974, setting four records in the process. He also held the record for the fastest crossing for three years and swam in the Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli in Italy.
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