{{Short description|British Army officer, explorer (b. 1988/89)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Preet Chandi | honorific_suffix = MBE | image = Preet Chandi (cropped).jpg | image_size = | caption = Chandi at South Pole Expedition launch event, 2021 | other_names = "Polar Preet" | birth_name = Harpreet Chandi | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|32|2021|11|23}} | birth_place = Derby, England | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | education = | occupation = {{hlist|Physiotherapist|}} | employer = British Army | known_for = First woman of colour to complete a solo expedition to the South Pole; longest solo and unsupported polar expedition | title = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | website = | signature = | footnotes = | module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes | allegiance = {{flagu|United Kingdom}} | branch = {{army|United Kingdom}} | service_years = 2008–present | unit = {{unbulleted list|Royal Army Medical Corps}} | rank = Captain | battles = | awards = Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire }} }}
'''Harpreet Kaur "Preet" Chandi''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} (born 1988/1989) is a British physiotherapist and British Army officer who completed a solo expedition across Antarctica to the South Pole, finishing on 3 January 2022.<ref name="NPR">{{Cite news |last=Treisman |first=Rachel |title=Preet Chandi is the first woman of color to complete a solo expedition in Antarctica |date=4 January 2022 |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/01/04/1070204859/preet-chandi-first-woman-of-color-solo-antarctica-expedition |access-date=4 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Preet Chandi becomes first woman of colour to ski solo to south pole |last=Murray |first=Jessica |work=The Guardian |date=5 January 2022 |access-date=22 January 2022 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/05/preet-chandi-becomes-first-woman-of-colour-to-ski-solo-to-south-pole}}</ref><ref name="LG_2013">{{London Gazette |issue=60603 |date=20 August 2013 |page=16472 |supp=y}}</ref> In January 2023, she recorded the longest ever solo and unsupported polar expedition.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Preet Chandi: Woman sets second world record in polar expedition |last=Harby |first=Jennifer |work=BBC |date=31 January 2023 |access-date=31 January 2023 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-64455412}}</ref>
She was appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-64724845|title=Preet Chandi: Polar world record holder receives MBE|publisher=BBC News|first=Liam|last=Barnes|date=21 February 2023|accessdate=21 February 2023}}</ref>
== Life == Chandi was born in Derby in 1988/1989. She is a Sikh of Indian Punjabi descent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/british-born-indian-woman-breaks-world-record-for-the-longest-solo-polar-expedition-woman-8393721/|title='Polar Preet': British-born Indian woman breaks world record for the longest solo polar expedition by a woman|date=20 January 2023}}</ref><ref name=EastEye>{{Cite news |title=British Army officer Preet is in Pole position to break barriers |first=Pooja |last=Shrivastava |date=23 November 2021 |url=https://www.easterneye.biz/british-army-officer-preet-is-in-pole-position-to-break-barriers/ |access-date=5 January 2022 |work=Eastern Eye }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith-Spark |first=Laura |date=6 November 2021 |title=British Sikh Army officer aims to be first woman of color to ski solo to South Pole |work=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/preet-chandi-sikh-woman-south-pole-solo-trip-intl-idnty/index.html}}</ref> When she was aged 14 she was keen on tennis and left for a tennis school in Surrey; at the age of 16, she was in the Czech Republic, where Jiří Novák ran a tennis school.<ref name=SOLDIER>{{Cite magazine |last=Long |first=Richard |title=Polar Push |magazine=SOLDIER |date=November 2021 |page=36 |publisher=Ministry of Defence |url=https://www.army.mod.uk/media/14588/2111-november-issue.pdf |access-date=23 January 2022}}</ref> After losing interest in tennis, Chandi returned to the UK where she completed her education.<ref name=SOLDIER/> She took up marathon running when she was eighteen, and also ultra-marathons, initially in the Peak District.<ref name=Derbyshire>{{Cite news |title=Derby woman seen dragging a tyre down London Road |first=Faith |last=Pring |date=21 October 2021 |work=Derby Telegraph |url=https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-woman-been-dragging-tyre-6077727 |access-date=5 January 2022}}</ref>
=== Push back === Referring to her independent decisions as a youth, followed by the challenges she set for herself as an adult, Chandi has noted that, as a woman of South Asian heritage, she had to deal with "perceptions of rebelliousness and stepping out of line" from both the press and her own ethnic community: "A lot of the time, especially in my community, it's those closest to us who sometimes hold us back, because we're doing something that's out of the norm or something that's different."<ref name=EastEye/> After an expedition across Greenland in 2020, Chandi said: "I remember somebody saying to me they've never seen an injury like that [<nowiki/>frostbite] on somebody of my colour skin before... I am an Asian woman, I'm not the image that people expect to see out there."<ref name=MurrayGuardian>{{Cite news |title="I am Asian, not what people expect": Derby woman to trek solo to south pole |first=Jessica |last=Murray |date=4 November 2021 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/nov/04/asian-derby-woman-trek-solo-to-south-pole-preet-chandi |work = The Guardian|access-date=5 January 2022}}</ref>
== Army career == thumb|left|Captain Preet Chandi in 2021 Chandi joined the Territorial Army in 2008 (aged 19 or 20),<ref name="Gov.UK 2022-01-08" /> and then the British Army when she was 27.<ref>{{cite news |title=Meet Preet Chandi First Woman Of Colour About To Take On A Solo South Pole Trek|date=5 November 2021 |work=SheThePeople |url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/shestars/preet-chandi-solo-south-pole-trek/ |access-date=5 January 2022}}</ref> On 23 March 2013, as a lance corporal, she received a Territorial Army commission as a lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC).<ref name="LG_2013" /> She was promoted to captain on 15 December 2016 (seniority from 4 August 2016),<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=62979 |date=21 April 2020 |page=7765 |supp=y }}</ref> and serves as a Clinical Training Officer with 3 Medical Regiment.<ref name=PolarPreet>{{Cite web |date=3 January 2022 |title=Polar Preet conquers South Pole close to world record |url=https://www.army.mod.uk/news-and-events/news/2022/01/polar-preet-conquers-south-pole-close-to-world-record/ |access-date=4 January 2022 |website=army.mod.uk |publisher=Ministry of Defence }}</ref> Chandi has served in Nepal, Kenya and South Sudan, where she was deployed on a six-month United Nations peacekeeping tour.<ref name=EastEye/> In 2017 she participated in the Lanyard Competition, a {{convert|40|mi|km|adj=on}} endurance event, as part of a team of six with the Royal Signals. In 2019, prior to her South Pole expedition, Chandi completed the Marathon des Sables, a {{convert|156|mi|km|adj=on}} ultramarathon across the Sahara.<ref name=EastEye/><ref>{{Cite news |title='People tell me I don't look like a polar explorer' |first=Sandish |last=Shoker |date=3 November 2021 |work=BBC News Online |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-59142164 |access-date=4 January 2022}}</ref>
== South Pole expeditions == [[File:Polar-preet-training in Finse Norway.jpg|thumb|Chandi training in Finse, Norway, in 2021]]
===Women in Antarctica=== {{Main|Women in Antarctica}} The presence of women in Antarctica, let alone women making solo expeditions across the continent, did not occur until more than a century after men first arrived. In 1821, American seal hunter John Davis was thought to be the first man to set foot on Antarctica. It was not until 1935 that the first woman, Danish-Norwegian explorer Caroline Mikkelsen, walked on any part of the Antarctic continent.<ref>{{cite speech |title=Women in Antarctica: Sharing this Life-Changing Experience |first=Dr. Robin |last=Burns |event=4th Annual Phillip Law Lecture |page=2 |quote=It is now more than seventy years since Danish-born Caroline Mikkelsen became the first woman to step onto the Antarctic continent, not far from the present Davis station... |date=18 June 2005 |publisher=Antarctic Midwinter Festival |location=Hobart |url=https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/2092/Dr_Robin_Burns_Lecture_-_No._4.pdf |access-date=23 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116120612/https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/2092/Dr_Robin_Burns_Lecture_-_No._4.pdf |archive-date=16 January 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
It would be another 59 years before Norwegian Liv Arnesen, in 1994, completed a 50-day trek to become the first woman to successfully complete a solo expedition to the South Pole; 27 years later, Chandi would be the first woman of colour to attempt the feat.<ref name=CNN/><ref>{{cite news |title=Army officer completes remarkable solo South Pole trek |first=Sandish |last=Shoker |date=5 January 2022 |work=BBC News Online |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-59869042 |access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref>
===2021 expedition=== Chandi gave public launch to her expedition challenge at The Shard on 21 October 2021, noting she had been training for two years. The event included a statement from Defence Minister Leo Docherty praising "her physical and mental resilience" even in the preparation stages. Her commanding officer, Brigadier Lizzie Faithfull-Davies, Commander 102 Logistics Brigade, called her "inspirational", "talented", "determined" and she said that "the whole brigade wished her the very best".<ref name="Gov.UK 2022-01-08">{{Cite web |title="Polar Preet" embarks on 700-mile trek to the South Pole |author=Ministry of Defence |date=22 October 2021 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/polar-preet-embarks-on-700-mile-trek-to-the-south-pole |access-date=8 January 2022 |website=GOV.UK }}</ref>
Chandi set out on her solo expedition on 7 November 2021, departing from Antarctica's Hercules Inlet.<ref name=CNN>{{Cite web |first1=Laura |last1=Smith-Spark |first2=Francesca |last2=Street |title=British Sikh Army officer becomes first woman of color to ski solo to the South Pole |date=4 January 2022 |publisher=CNN Travel |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/preet-chandi-completes-south-pole-expedition-idnty/index.html |access-date=5 January 2022 }}</ref> The journey to the South Pole involved travelling a distance of {{convert|700|mi}}, pulling a sled weighing {{convert|90|kg|lb|disp=flip}}, carrying 48 days worth of food and supplies.
She documented her journey via voice notes, which she uploaded to her blog.<ref name=Blog>{{Cite web |title=What? {{!}} Why {{!}} Who am I? |first=Preet |last=Chandi |url=https://polarpreet.com/ |access-date=5 January 2022 |website=Polar Preet}}</ref> She said after her first week that this would be the longest time in her life that she would be alone.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Polar Preet: Antarctica expedition "longest I've ever been alone" |url=https://www.forces.net/news/polar-preet-antarctica-expedition-longest-ive-ever-been-alone |access-date=8 January 2022 |work=British Forces Broadcasting Service }}</ref> Each day's post was dedicated to those individuals who helped and supported her on her journey, beginning with her late grandfather. She listened to podcasts and music and messages from friends; when just {{convert|15|nmi}} from the Pole, she posted a voice note asking six of her friends to be her bridesmaids.<ref name="NPR" /><ref name=Blog/> Upon reaching the South Pole, thinking of the push back she had experienced, Chandi posted that the expedition was a way "to encourage people to push their boundaries and to believe in themselves, ... without being labelled a rebel" and to continue setting your own course when "told to 'just do the normal thing'".<ref name=Chowdhury>{{Cite magazine |first=Srimoyee |last=Chowdhury |title=British Sikh woman Preet Chandi makes history with solo trip to South Pole in 40 days |date=4 January 2022 |magazine=India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/british-sikh-woman-preet-chandi-makes-history-with-solo-trip-to-south-pole-in-40-days-1895950-2022-01-04 |access-date=5 January 2022}}</ref>
Chandi completed her journey in 40 days, 7 hours and 3 minutes,<ref name=PolarPreet/> making her the third fastest solo woman to reach the South Pole unassisted (no snowkiting nor other sail assists), behind Johanna Davidsson of Sweden (38 days, 23 hours and 5 minutes in 2016)<ref>{{Cite news |title=Swedish Nurse Becomes Fastest Woman Ever To Ski Solo To The South Pole |last=Shapiro |first=Rebecca |date=6 January 2017 |work=HuffPost |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/swedish-nurse-becomes-fastest-woman-ever-to-ski-solo-to-the-south-pole_n_586e0d8ae4b0c56eb4b72242 |access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref> and Hannah McKeand from Great Britain (39 days, 9 hours and 33 minutes in 2006).<ref name=Guardian2006>{{cite news |title=Woman treks alone to South Pole in 39 days |first= Aislinn |last=Simpson |date=29 December 2006 |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/dec/30/uknews2.mainsection2 |access-date=24 January 2022 |url-access=limited}}</ref> The journey also made her the first woman of color to reach the South Pole solo and unsupported.<ref name=PolarPreet/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishnews.com/magazine/daily/2022/10/25/news/kate_becomes_patron_of_army_officer_s_antarctica_challenge-2875032/|title=Kate becomes patron of Army officer's Antarctica challenge|date=25 October 2022|website=The Irish News}}</ref> Felicity Aston was the first person to rely solely on muscle power to complete the challenge, taking 59 days to cross Antarctica, a decade earlier.<ref>{{Cite web |title=First female to ski solo across Antarctica |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/101115-first-female-to-ski-solo-across-antarctica |access-date=4 January 2022 |website=Guinness World Records -gb}}</ref>
===2022/23 expedition=== In November 2022, Chandi set off on her second solo expedition from Hercules Inlet, with the aim of becoming the first woman to cross Antarctica solo and unsupported, hoping to reach Reedy Glacier within 75 days. However, she reported on an online blog on 19 January 2023 that she was about {{convert|30|nmi}} away from her pick-up point and "pretty gutted" to have missed out on the crossing record. On 20 January 2023, it was announced that Chandi had broken the world record for the longest solo and unsupported polar expedition, having travelled {{convert|868|mi}} up to that point.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 January 2023 |title=Preet Chandi: Woman sets new record for polar expedition |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-64348510 |access-date=20 January 2023}}</ref>
'''Solo 'fastest' ski expedition 2023'''
Chandi set off on 26 November to ski solo and on 28 December 2023, she reached the South Pole and declared ( subject to confirmation by Guinness Book of Records ) to be the fastest solo woman skier to complete this route.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-30 |title=Army officer 'fastest' woman to ski to South Pole |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-67848500 |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> She was interviewed on Channel 4 News and said she first thought she was a day behind the previous fastest time, but had been told she was actually more than a day ahead of the record.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-30 |title=British soldier claims record for fastest woman to ski alone across Antarctica |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/antarctica-record-ski-woman-uk-preet-chandi-b2471252.html |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>
==Role model== After her success, she was congratulated on her "grit and determination" by the British Army's chief of the general staff, Mark Carleton-Smith,<ref>{{Cite news |title=British Sikh Army officer becomes first woman of colour to complete solo trek across Antarctica |first=Benjamin |last=Butterworth |date=4 January 2022 |work=i |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/world/preet-chandi-british-sikh-army-officer-first-woman-colour-solo-trek-antarctica-1381463 |access-date=5 January 2022 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> while retired major general Lamont Kirkland, CEO of project sponsor Team Army Sports Foundation, noted that Chandi "will undoubtedly become a role model for young people from diverse and ethnic backgrounds to see a world with challenges rather than barriers."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moss |first=Catharine |title=Polar Preet has done it! |date=3 January 2022 |website=Team Army UK |url=https://teamarmy.org/2022/01/03/polar-preet-has-done-it/ |access-date=8 January 2022 }}</ref>
Chandi was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours, the Queen's last<!-- this 'last' aspect is present but uncited in 2022 Birthday Honours -->,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=63714|supp=y|page=B7|date=1 June 2022}}</ref> with investiture at Windsor Castle performed by the Princess Royal in February 2023.<ref>[https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/derbys-record-breaking-polar-preet-8176959 Derby's record-breaking Polar Preet awarded MBE at Windsor Castle by Princess Anne] ''Derbyshire Live'', 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023</ref> She was given an honorary degree by the University of Derby.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-07-06 |title=South Pole trekker to get University of Derby honorary degree |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-62050270 |access-date=2022-07-09}}</ref>
In November 2022, Chandi won ''Woman of the Year'' and also the ''Inspirational Award'' at the Women in Defence Awards 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forces.net/women/polar-preet-wins-woman-year-women-defence-awards-2022|title=Polar Preet named Woman of the Year at Women in Defence Awards 2022|website=forces.net|date=25 November 2022 |accessdate=27 November 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://polarpreet.com/ "Polar Preet" website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandi, Preet}} Category:1980s births Category:Living people Category:British polar explorers Category:English people of Indian descent Category:English people of Punjabi descent Category:Female polar explorers Category:British women explorers Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:People associated with the University of Derby Category:People from Derby Category:Royal Army Medical Corps officers