'I want to be first woman of colour to row Atlantic solo'

A university graduate is bidding to become the "first woman of colour" to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Ananya Prasad, 34, from Sheffield, hopes to complete the 3,000-mile crossing from La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, to Antigua.

She will be raising money for the Mental Health Foundation and her uncle's orphanage in India, but also wants to help boost diversity in adventure sport and rowing.

She said: "I hope by participating that one day women and people of colour in adventure sport isn’t something distinctive, but the norm."

Born in Bengaluru, in India, Ananya moved to the UK with her family when she was five and has always had a passion for exercise, the outdoors and adventure.

She said she had followed the World's Toughest Row event for a number of years but was not sure if it was for her.

"I had the same opinion as everyone else, that this is amazing but absolutely crazy, and I'd never do anything like this whatsoever," she said.

"Then, as I got to know more about the race, and the experience, and what you learn about yourself, it became something I want to do."

Ananya said she had been readying herself physically for the crossing and mastering "every nut and bolt" of her specially built 25ft ocean rowing boat in ahead of the journey.

But, she said, preparing mentally for between 60 and 80 days alone would be a big challenge.

"Dealing with things on your own is the most important thing," she said.

"Being able to visualise things going wrong and the steps I'm going to take to not panic."

She said she had also been advised by other rowers to remember why she was taking part.

"If you were just doing this for yourself, it'd be easy to quit and say 'I gave it my best, it's okay'," she said.

"[But] if you're doing it for something outside yourself, or you have a good reason why you're doing it, then that's going to help you stay on track and push you through."

She said she had chosen to support the Mental Health Foundation because due to her own struggles and because it is "ridiculously and unnecessarily stigmatised."

The other charity she chose, her uncle's orphanage and school, is called the Deenabandhu Trust, where she has volunteered during trips with her family.

While women of colour have completed the journey as part of a team, Ananya hopes her mission to be come the first to do so alone will herald a change in the sport.

"The lack of diversity in adventure sport has always been very apparent to me," she said

"While there are a myriad of reasons for this, I hope to inspire more people of colour and women into adventure sport and rowing and offer some representation to the outdoors for women of colour.

“So far fewer than 25 women have rowed solo across an ocean and I would become the first woman of colour to do this solo.”

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