Meet the top para-swimmers of India who can inspire us in many different ways

Finally, the curtains have fallen on the Rio Olympics 2016. The Games have finished off in style and great spirit but we are still not over it as yet. Many of us have already started missing the action, the drama and the excitement of the Games. However, the performance of the Indian contingent at the Rio Games has definitely left a lot to be desired.

But we don’t need to fret because the Paralympics 2016 is just on its way to entertain and inspire us. And we can now pin our hopes on the performance of our contingent at the Rio Paralympics. There is a saying, “If it does not challenge you, it does not change you.”

Here are the five top para-swimmers of India who have faced the challenges and have overcome them to change their lives. They have proved the fact that if one is brave and determined nothing can hold one back. Let us see what these real life heroes have to share with us.

Sharath Gayakwad

Sharath is considered as one of the best para-swimmers India has ever produced. With over 70 medals including both national and international medals, this Bangalore boy is the first ever Indian swimmer to have qualified for Paralympics, he represented India at the London 2012 Paralympics.

“In 2002, I got to know about competitive para-swimming and took it professionally in 2003, when I first competed at the Nationals. It was disappointing when I missed the Beijing Paralympic Games by half a second. But I pushed myself f and qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.”

Despite having a shoulder injury, Sharath broke PT Usha’s record of 5 medals at the Asian Games (Seoul) after he ended up winning 6 medals at the Incheon Asian Games.“Swimming has given me happiness and immense pleasure apart from the medals and accolades. I have started full-time coaching for both para and able-bodied swimmers at the Puja Aquatic Center, Bangalore.”

He too, like many of the other athletes, has faced infrastructural and financial problems in the country. “Initially the government was not at all supportive, I had to participate in every competition here in India as well as abroad on my own money. Later around 2010, the government started helping and funding but it is still not enough.”

This Arjuna Awardee was born with a deformed hand but that could not stop him from achieving what he wished for.

Suyash Jadhav

India’s only swimmer at this year’s Paralympics lost both his hands in the year 2004 to a loose electric wire. He became the first Indian para-swimmer to have achieved the ‘A’ qualifying mark for 2016 Paralympics in Rio.

“I started taking part in swimming tournaments from the year 2007 and in 2009 I won my first IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports) bronze medal in Banglore, it was my first international competition.”

Suyash was unaware of the fact that he could take part in swimming competitions until, 2 years after the tragic incident, a friend of his told him about the para-swimming events. “I was disappointed as I could not get a chance to participate in the Asian Games and Common Wealth Games 2014. I almost gave up swimming for 15 days in 2015. I called up Prasanta Karmakar bhaiyya to give me one chance; he talked to the Secretary of Paralympic Committee of India to send my entry for the Paralympic qualifications held in Russia, where I finally qualified.”

His father was a national level swimmer and has been an inspiration to him. “I am really excited to be able to represent India at the Paralympics. I would like to tell the young swimmers that you should be focused and must work hard till you succeed.”

Niranjan Mukundan

Niranjan who had emerged as the first Indian para-athlete to be crowned as the Junior World Champion 2015, was born with a medical condition called Spina Bifida, he has an incomplete development of the spinal cord and has clubbed feet.

“I am prone to a lot of injuries due to my medical condition. Sometimes I remain out of practice for 3 months at a stretch, that is like a setback for me, but I always used to train my mind and stayed focused and had a never give up attitude which kept me going. One of the most difficult situations was during 2014 Common Wealth Games where I was selected but couldn't take part due to an injury.”

Niranjan won 10 medals at the 11th International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) World Junior Games 2015. “In 2013, GoSports foundation (NGO) joined me in my journey and gave me access to experts(fitness and conditioning, nutrition, physiotherapy) and also took care of my travel expenses, it's been 4 years now with GoSports foundation and they have played a major role in my swimming career.”

Recently he re-created history by bagging 8 medals, which included 3 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze at the IWAS U-23 World Games held in Prague. “The Karnataka state government has recognised me by awarding Ekalavya Award (State's highest civilian Sports award) and Rajyotsava Award (State's highest civilian award). In the year 2016, Speedo (Popular swimwear brand in the world) has signed me up too.”

Currently, Niranjan is ranked no.17 in the world and is training really hard to make it up to the top 10 by the end of the year.

Vishwas KS

This brave Bangalore man lost both his hands and his father in a tragic electrocution incident at the age of 10. “I never thought I could swim without hands. I used to go to the swimming pool with my friends and watch them swim. But one fine day I decided to swim and from then I was determined and wanted to prove that it is possible to swim even without hands. I wanted to be a role model for those like me and inspire them to go ahead.”

“The first challenges that I faced while learning how to swim were controlling my breath, opening my eyes and moving my legs underwater. But finally, I was able to swim properly after intensive training.” Later in 2015 Vishwas won 4 silver medals at the state level and 3 silver medals at the national level para-swimming competition. After which Sports Authority of India (SAI) chose him to compete in Canada, where he made India proud by winning three medals (2 silver and 1 bronze) at the 2016 Speedo Can-Am Para-swimming Championships.

“An NGO known as ‘AASTHA’ whose founder Sunil Jain himself is physically challenged and wheel chaired, has been a great support to me and other athletes like me. Para swimmers like Sharath Gayakwad and advisors like Scindia Sir, Dabaaz Sir and John Sir have inspired me throughout.”

Vishwas dreams of representing India at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He believes that to achieve a goal one has to be strongly determined and physically challenged people are in no way inferior to the able-bodied.

Prasanta Karmakar

Last but not the least, Prasanta Karmakar has been the face of Indian para-swimming for many years. He is considered as one of the pioneers of modern day para swimming of India. He is the very first Indian para-swimmer to win a medal in aquatics at World Swimming Championships (2003) and the Commonwealth Games (2010). He was also the most decorated Indian swimmer at the 2009 IWAS World Games held in Bangalore winning 4 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze medals. He lost his right hand in a road accident when he was just seven years old.

“I remember in 2010, after I won a medal at the Common Wealth Games, I had requested the Prime Minister to give at least 1% of the sports quota preferences to the Paralympians. But it has been 6 years and till now that preference has not been given. I talked to the Railway Secretary at the Railway Department to provide jobs to the Asian Games medalists(para-athletes), but unless and until a Minister or a high ranked government official is involved there would be no such work done for us. Things have, however, changed now and the government is giving their 100% for the betterment of the para athletes.”

Prasanta has won many awards in para swimming which include; Arjuna Award, Major Dhyan Chand Sports Award, Bheem Award, State Role Model Award, Achiever Award and Swimmer of the year Award for four years.

“In 2004 Paralympics, Devendra Jhajharia had won a gold medal and had set a new world record in Javelin throw, but, unfortunately, he got rewarded for his achievements only after Delhi 2010 CWG. But now after 2010 CWG, the government has started working positively towards the welfare of the para athletes. They have started constructing a Paralympic sports village, Gandhinagar SAI has been declared as the Nodal Centre, 100 crore rupees have been invested to set up a Paralympic Centre at Gandhinagar. Apart from this, Paralympic specialised SAI centres have been set up at places like Gwalior, Bhubaneshwar and Vishakhapatnam.”

The new generation of para-swimmers look up to Karmakar as their idol and he is doing his bit by training the new swimmers and working for the upliftment of the para athletes.

“Now even the para-athletes like me have taken up their jobs as coaches and have started motivating the new generation. I have been training paralympic swimmers for the Indian team. Currently, I have 18 young swimmers who are preparing for Asian Games, 2020 And 2024 Paralympics and I strongly believe if I keep on working like this for the nation, India will surely win medals at these events.”

Joey Reiman once very rightly said, “What I learned was that these athletes were not disabled, they were superabled. The Olympics is where heroes are made. The Paralympics is where heroes come.” It is fallacious to believe that only the physically normal can succeed in life. With strong will power, determination and perseverance even the differently-abled have acquired what the physically abled ones have not been able to achieve.

It takes a lot of courage to overcome your weaknesses and succeed in life. After all, it does not matter how much you have, the only thing that matters is what you have and how you use it.