Prisha Tapre (16, Great Britain, @prishatapre, @watford_ocean_warriors) has been swimming for as long as she remembers. Precocious and eloquent, she started training for the English Channel at the age of 12 – and completed an 11 hour 48 minute crossing last September 2025 at the age of 16.
Days later after her solo crossing, she gave a TEDx Talk called Swimming Past Stigma at TEDxMilton Keynes Youth.
Tapre is described as a Youth Advocate & Leader, world record holder, a Great British national open water swimming athlete, Head Girl, and am ambassador for various charity organizations. She explains, “At 16, I became the youngest British Indian to swim the English Channel solo, an achievement that strengthened my commitment to meaningful causes. Through this swim, I raised over £7,000 for Akshaya Patra UK, and an English Channel relay crossing that raised over £15,000 for Rennie Grove Peace Hospice (with the Watford Ocean Warriors, with Jeffrey Gill, Felipe Irvine, Olivia Qui, Conor Gavin, and Jeremy Irvine only 11 days before her solo crossing – see below).
My public speaking journey began at age 7 through speech and drama and led to my first TEDx Talk in 2025 [see below]. Since then, I have delivered multiple TEDx and keynote talks, sharing my experiences in overcoming mental and physical challenges, breaking stigma, and inspiring young people in schools, businesses, and charities.
Beyond sport and speaking, I am actively engaged in youth advocacy and charitable work. I serve as an ambassador for Herts Young Homeless and was recognized with the Lions Youth Ambassador Award and the Hertfordshire Young Achievers Award for my contributions to community and youth empowerment.
My role as Head Girl, combined with my experiences as a Year 13 student, allows me to inspire young people to overcome perceived limits through sport, education, and personal growth.”
She has been recognized by Queen Camilla and Princess Catherine as a special guest at Westminster Abbey Royal Carol Service, and honored as the BLDSA Swimmer of the Year, the Channel Swimming Association Youngest Solo Swimmer Award, the Durley Solo Swimmer of the Year, the BLDSA Most Meritorious Swimmer, Lions Youth Ambassador Award, Herts Young Achievers Award, and Ambassador for Herts Young Homeless.
TED Speakers
Tapre joined a number of athletes, physicians, writers and personalities who have spoken about open water swimming at TED Talks around the world when she spoke about her open water experiences at the TEDxGalway in November 2023.
- Lewis Pugh
- Diana Nyad
- Maarten van der Weijden
- Ori Sela
- Vicki Keith
- Dr. Peter Attia
- Tim Ferriss
- Angel Yanagihara, PhD
- Maria Conceicao
- Dr. Tim Noakes
- Wallace J. Nichols, PhD
- Guillaume Néry
- Dana Vollmer
- Craig Dietz
- Kimberley Chambers
- Catherine Sheridan
- Patrick Fellows
- Doug McConnell
- Amos Nachoum
- Marcia Cleveland
- Dina Levačić
- Trinity Arsenault
- Lucas Carbonaro
- Antonio Argüelles
- Srikaanth Viswanathan
- Jaimie Monahan
- Gaurvi Singhvi
- Bhakti Sharma
- Bogusław Ogrodnik
- Lynne Cox
- Karen Gaffney
- Shams Alam
- Abhejali Bernardová
- Doug Woodring
- Avram Iancu
- Julie Gautier
- Ryan Stramrood
- Achmat Hassiem
- Sarah Mardini
- Simon Harmer
- Rebecca Michaels
- Spyros Chrisikopoulos
- Sucheta Burman
- Simon Kerslake
- Tiffany Monique Quash, PhD
- Dylan Qualls
- Dee Newell
- Bengisu Avci
- Prisha Tapre
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