San Ramon 7th Grader Swims Lake Tahoe, Ranks 1st In Division

SAN RAMON, CA — An 11-year-old from San Ramon won first place in her division in a swim across Lake Tahoe.

Yookta Pandit completed a 1.2-mile open water swimming race across Lake Tahoe as part of the Sierra Open Water Swim Series’ Lake Tahoe Swim on Aug. 27. Yookta was the youngest racer in the annual racing event. To practice swimming in one of the deepest and largest lakes in the world, she had to practice for many hours swimming in open water, cold temperatures, and high elevations.

Yookta has been swimming since the age of four and swims competitively with the Pleasanton SeaHawks team.

“As a rising 7th grader, she wants to encourage boys and girls in the community to follow a regular exercise routine and a healthy diet to achieve the limitless potential that lies in all of us,” her mother Ramya told Patch in an email.