Preet Chandi becomes first-ever woman of colour to complete solo trek to South Pole

Captain Harpreet Chandi, a 32-year-old British Sikh Army officer finally became the "first woman of colour" to finish an unsupported solo walk across Antarctica to the South Pole on 3 January, Monday.  While announcing the feat, the Captain, who is more popular as Polar Preet, has announced her achievement during a live blog on Monday at the end of Day 40. She has travelled 700 miles, nearly 1,127 kilometres. According to the details shared by the British Sikh Army officer, she was accompanied by a pulk or sledge-- a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow-- and a kit to battle temperatures of minus 50 degrees Celsius and wind speeds of around 60mph.

"Hello everyone, checking in from day 40. I made it to the South Pole where it is 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 said in her social media 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," she maintained.

Further, the "polar woman" advised the people to follow their passion without pondering over what others would articulate about the work. Sharing her motivation for the adventurous trip, the well-trained army officer said, "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."

Who is Captain Harpreet Chandi?

Captain Harpreet Chandi is a 32-year-old British Sikh Army officer associated with Medical Regiment in the northwest of England. She is currently staying in London where she is also completing her master's degree in Sports and Exercise Medicine. In the British Army, her main position is to manage and validate exercise for medics in the Army as Clinical Training Officer. According to her, she had pulled two large tyres over the past few months for her polar training. Captain Harpreet said the exercise is necessary as a substitute for the heavy sledge she has been dragging along in Antarctica. In her recent social media post, she revealed her plans of getting married to her fiance David Jarman after returning from the expedition.