Kochi: A six-year-old girl has swam across the Vembanad Lake. Gayathri Praveen, a Class-1 student of the Canadian Central School at Puthuppady in Muvattupuzha swam across the 4.5km-stretch of the Vembanad Lake in 1.27 hours.

Gayathri has been training under coach Biju Thankappan of the Dolphin Aquatic Club at Varappetty Panchayat pond in Kothamangalam and in the Kothamangalam River for one year.

Gayathri began the swim from Thavanakkadavu in Alappuzha district at 8.30am on Saturday. Aroor MLA Daleema Jojo flagged off the event at Thavanakkadavu. Vaikom tehsildar T M Vijayan received the six-year-old as she reached the Vaikom beach in Kottayam district at 9.57am.

Film actor Chembil Ashokan inaugurated the felicitation meeting which was presided over by municipal chairperson Radhika Shyam.

Students Ananda Darshan, Laya B Nair, Jewel Mariam Basil and Neeraj Sreekanth, who were also trained by Biju Thankappan, had swam across the Vembanad Lake during the last two years.

Gayathri is the daughter of Varappetty residents Praveen and Chinju.