By Gaggan Sabherwal
South Asia Diaspora Reporter
23rd January 2023
British Army Officer Captain Harpreet Chandi also known as Polar Preet has officially ‘broken the world record' for the longest, solo, unsupported, and unassisted polar expedition by any woman in history.
(Photo Credit : Harpreet Chandi)
As a part of this expedition which started in November 2022, Preet has so far had to endure temperatures of -50°C and wind speeds up to 60mph as well as hauling a sledge, weighing around 120kg, loaded with her kit. Polar Preet is said to have passed the previous female record which was 1,368 km skied by Anja Blacha from Germany in 2019.
Preet is aiming to be the first woman to cross Antarctica solo and unsupported and since the start of this expedition two months ago, Preet has been documenting her journey and progress online. On Thursday, in an online blog post
(https://polarpreet.com/2023/01/19/phase-2-day-66/) she said how tough her final days have been and that she was "pretty gutted" that she did not have the time to complete the crossing.
She wrote: "Hi Everyone. A tough day today. It was very cold and windy, but I kept my breaks very short, so I didn't get too cold. I didn't let myself stop earlier though because I wanted to get the miles in. I have been given my pickup point which is about 30 nautical miles away from me. I'm pretty gutted that I don't have the time to complete the crossing. I know that I have done a huge journey, it's just difficult while I'm on the ice and I know it’s not that far away."
(Photo Credit : Harpreet Chandi)
In the same blog post the 34-year-old physiotherapist also shared the "amazing" voice notes she had been sent from the voices of "those closest" to her. She wrote, ‘’Today I listened to the little voice notes which were sent to me before I left, and they are amazing. It’s so nice to hear the voices of those closest to me. I have voice notes from my close family as well, so from my mum, my two older brothers and my niece Simran’’.
‘’I listened to childhood memories from my brothers, my mum telling me how excited she was about having a baby girl and how the midwife commented that she had never seen an Asian woman so excited about having a girl’’.
Preet also added, ‘’And finally hearing my niece say it’s the most amazing thing she has seen anyone do in her entire life and it’s even more amazing because it’s her phuwa (auntie) doing it. It’s so precious to hear. I have not yet located the easter bunny or the tooth fairy, but I still have a couple of days left’’.
Now this is not Preet’s first Antarctic mission. In January 2022 Preet became the first woman of colour to complete a solo unsupported trek to the South Pole. She finished the route in 40 days, just short of the female world record of 38 days held by Joanna Davidson of Sweden which made her the third-fastest woman to trek across Antarctica. During this gruelling expedition, Preet had to endure temperatures as low as minus 50 degree Celsius and wind speeds of up to 96 kilometres per hour and walked around 27 kilometres a day pulling a 90-kilogram sled containing her kit.
(Photo Credit : Harpreet Chandi)
Since her first expedition last year, Preet has become a global star and an inspiration to many and has been receiving huge support and encouragement from people all over the world including Britain’s Royal family. In October 2022 Catherine, the Princess of Wales became a Patron of Preet’s this expedition across Antarctica. Following this announcement Preet had said: ‘’ My aim for this expedition has always been to inspire people to push their boundaries. I want to bring people on this journey with me, to help them believe that nothing is impossible. It is an absolute privilege to have The Princess of Wales as the Patron.”
Last year Preet was also awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honour List for her amazing achievement. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire or an MBE is a British honour given by UK’s Queen or King to people for outstanding achievement or service to their local community.
BBC Urdu Link : https://www.bbc.com/urdu/articles/c4ney6e012do
BBC Punjabi Link : https://www.bbc.com/punjabi/articles/c0kv2r7k51po
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