Aren’t we all super proud to hear about Captain Harpreet Chandi’s achievement? We at HerZindagi totally are! In case you didn’t know the full story, we have it all here for you.
Captain Harpreet Chandi is the first woman of colour to complete a solo trek to the South Pole.
Harpreet Creates History Again
British Sikh Army medic Harpreet Chandi claims to have become the fastest woman to ski solo across Antarctica. She covered 1,130 km in 31 days, 13 hours and 19 minutes. However, the Guinness World Records is yet to verify the claim. Harpreet holds a record of first woman of colour to complete a solo and unsupported 700-mile Antarctica journey to the south pole in 2021.
About Her Trek
Chandi left with Hercules inlet on the Ronne ice shelf for the trek on 26th November and arrived on the South Pole at 2:24 am on 28th December. She skied for 12 to 13 hours a day on average and pulled 75-kg sledges.
Who Is Captain Harpreet Chandi?
Captain Harpreet Chandi is a 32-year-old, Indian-origin, British Sikh officer and physiotherapist. She is popularly now known as ‘Polar Preet’ because of her achievements. She is the first woman of colour to complete a solo trek to the South Pole.
“I made it to the South Pole where it’s snowing. Feeling so many emotions right now. I knew nothing about the polar world three years ago and it feels so surreal to finally be here. It was tough getting here and I want to thank everybody for their support,” she wrote on her blog as she announced her achievement to the world through her blog.
“This expedition was always about so much more than me. I want to encourage people to push their boundaries and to believe in themselves, and I want you to be able to do it without being labelled a rebel. I have been told no on many occasions and told to ‘just do the normal thing’, but we create our own normal," Capt. Chandi said.
With her blog updates, she also went on posting her live location over the internet and several pictures throughout.
"You are capable of anything you want. No matter where you are from or where your start line is, everybody starts somewhere. I don’t want to just break the glass ceiling; I want to smash it into a million pieces,” she said.
Captain Harpreet Chandi is currently based out of London and is completing her master's degree in Sports and Exercise Medicine, part-time, at Queen Mary’s University in London.
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Wedding Bells
Conversations with Captain Harpreet Chandi surely tell us that she had a sufficient amount of time thinking about her wedding to Army reservist fiance David Jarman as the two had been engaged before she went off to Antarctica.
The couple is expected to reunite in Chile as she returns from the South Pole later this month.
“I read somewhere that when you ask people to be your bridesmaids it’s nice to do it in a special way, so all the way from Antarctica I would love nothing more than for you to be my bridesmaids. Sonia Chandi, Rachel Tucker-Norton, Kamal Dhamrait, Tig Bridge, Hannah Sawford (or Hannah Smith now) and Collette Davey,” Chandi wrote.
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What She Has To Say For Others
“Anything ambitious can feel out of reach at the beginning but every bit of training I complete brings me closer to my goal. My training expeditions in Greenland and Norway have helped prepare me and my goal is now in reach,” she declared before setting off for the South Pole in November.
She truly inspires us! Stay tuned to HerZindagi for more viral stories!