Sharath Gayakwad started swimming at the age of 9, when he was a student of Little Flower Public School. After this, he took 2 years of fitness training before starting competition training. Having coached under John Christopher for the past 13 years, this young athlete likes facing challenges. He stays grounded despite having achieved world rankings in many swimming styles.
He is the winner of ‘Arjuna Award’ for 2015 and ‘Karnataka Rajyotsava Award’ in 2013. He was the first Indian to qualify for the Paralympic Games and finished 9th in the 2012 London games.
1 | Music
Linkin Park
“My favourite band is ‘Linkin Park’, as it was a big part of my growing up. It was the age when one got attracted to rock music easily and the band’s music stood apart amidst the rest. I started listening to a lot of their songs, especially numbers like ‘In the End’, ‘Numb’ and ‘One Step Closer’ and the more I got familiar with the lyrics, the more
relatable they were to me. They were very inspirational.”
2 | Author
Ian Thorpe
“Though I haven’t been an avid reader, I started reading autobiographies recently and this is when I came across one by the swimmer Ian Thorpe. He is my idol and I got a chance to know him better through his book ‘This Is Me’. The book talks about his life and his swimming career, the struggles he went through, his vision about sports and his achievements. The book also talks about his retirement, how he fell in love with the water again and wanted to win medals and titles.”
3 | Travel
Goa
“I love the waterfront because of my passion for water. Beaches are about relaxing and they make me calm. I have slept in the beachshack — the wind and sound of the waves are always soothing. I love going to Goa and have frequented it many times. I also like Pondicherry. Outside India, I like Australia. I have been a fan of Australian sports since a long time. It was my dream place to go to and when I went to Perth and saw the beauty of it, I was mystified. The people were very friendly and welcoming. I follow the country through social media and am always fascinated by the sights there.”
4 | Cuisine
Butter chicken and roti
“When it comes to food, I love everything. I have a sweet tooth and love desserts, especially pastries and icecreams in white chocolate or ‘Death by chocolate’ flavour. When it comes to the main course, I love ‘butter chicken’ and ‘roti’ or ‘chappati’. I have experienced varied cuisines like Mexican, Italian, Chinese and Indian, and I often choose food according to my mood. It depends on what I want at a particular time.”
5 | Inspiration
Rahul Dravid
“I have always admired Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. The way Sachin plays is remarkable. There is always a sigh of relief when he is on the pitch. I also admire Rahul Dravid for the man he is. I’ve learnt a lot by observing his level of concentration, focus and patience. I’ve been lucky to meet him and am highly inspired by his persona. Despite there being a lot of heat during the matches, he would never lose his cool and would let his work speak for him.”
(As told to Tini Sara Anien)