Preet Chandi: First Woman Of Colour To Complete A Solo Expedition To South Pole

British-born Sikh army officer Preet Chandi is now the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition to South Pole. On January 3, Chandi wrote on her blog that she has completed a 700 miles (1126 kilometers) trek in 40 days. She started her journey in November last year and was reportedly unsupported by Antarctica's Hercules Inlet.

Preet Chandi shared on her blog the various emotions that she felt when she completed the trek. She wrote, "I made it to the South Pole where it's snowing. Feeling so many emotions right now...it feels so surreal to finally be here." During her Antarctica expedition, she had taken a sledge that weighed 90 kilograms as well as kit, food and fuel.

The Chief of the General Staff of the British Army congratulated Chandi for her achievement. "Congratulations to @PreetChandi10 on the completion f her 700-mile unsupported trek to the South Pole. An inspirational example of the grit and determination of our soldiers. Well Done! @BritishArmy."

The news about Chandi completing her expedition was also shared by her team on Instagram. The post contained a picture of the army officer alongside a note in which she said, "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."

Suggested Reading: Indian Mountaineering Foundation Gets Its First Woman President 

Chandi further added that she has been told no on many occasions and told to “just do the normal thing”, but people create their own normal. "You are capable of anything you want. No-matter where you are from or where your start line is, everybody starts somewhere. I dont want to just break the glass ceiling, I want to smash it into a million pieces," she further added.

The 32-year-old army officer goes by "Polar Preet" on social media. She is not just an army officer, but a Nordic skier, physiotherapist, ultra-marathon runner and endurance athlete too. During her journey to the South Pole, she was reportedly going to face -50 degrees celsius and snowstorms. While she was unsupported, Chandi kept sharing her journey through daily voice blogs.

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: Preet Chandi

According to her website, the reason why Preet Chandi chose an expedition to Antarctica is that it is the "coldest, highest, driest and windiest continent on Earth." At first, she knew nothing of the place but with research, she started planning. The other reason she gave was that only a few women adventurers have completed a solo and unsupported trek in Antarctica and she wanted to make that list more diverse.

Suggested Reading: Who Is Alka Mittal ? The First Woman To Head Oil And Natural Gas Corporation

Chandi said that it is not a norm for an Asian woman to be in adventure sports and she faces questions from people on it. She has previously revealed that it was her Senior Medical Officer at the first regiment, who encouraged her to take up Army Adventurous Training. Read more about her prep story here.

Chandi, after completing the trek, wrote in her blog that the trek was not just about her and she encouraged people to "push their boundaries" and believe in themselves. "I don't want to just break the glass ceiling, I want to smash it into a million pieces," she wrote.