From reluctant swimmers to winners

Ahmedabad: The fresh crop of Indian swimmers made a splash at the Asian Aquatics Championships in Ahmedabad, bagging 12 medals overall. And true to tradition, Bengaluru, the city long considered India’s swimming hub, produced the lion’s share of winners. While Srihari Nataraj stole the spotlight with his stunning haul of seven medals, a few other names from the city also quietly worked their way into the medal tally.

Among them were Karnataka-born youngsters and even outstation swimmers who’ve made Bengaluru their training home. Tamil Nadu’s Thomas Benediction, who pocketed three medals, trains under India’s head coach Nihar Ameen at Dolphin Aquatics. But away from the headlines, two city-born debutants — Aneesh Gowda and Akash Mani — left their own little stamp at the Championships.

Both Gowda and Mani picked up relay medals (Aneesh won a silver in 4x200m freestyle relay while Akash a bronze in 4x100m freestyle relay) and the moment meant a lot more given it was their first taste of the competition. Beyond medals and hometown pride, they share strikingly similar stories.

Both were nudged into the pool by their parents, both resisted at first, and both eventually found themselves unable to let go of the sport. Aneesh’s mother initially pushed him into skating before steering him towards swimming, while Akash simply followed his siblings. Neither enjoyed the water early on, but the journey has clearly paid off.

“I didn’t enjoy swimming much when I was put into it by mother,” 19-year-old Akash admitted to DH. “I didn’t take it seriously enough but gradually I started liking it, especially when I started competing. You don’t always get to feel that sort of adrenaline rush elsewhere.”

A former student of St Joseph’s Boys’ and Delhi Public School, Akash is now pursuing computer science at Jain University. While he has embraced swimming wholeheartedly, he is clear-eyed about its long-term feasibility.

“I don’t think so Indian swimmers can think of becoming full-time professional swimmers, at least not yet,” he said. “Swimming is not financially feasible by the time you turn 27. Saying that, I haven’t thought about what I will do after swimming, I will figure that out later.”

Unlike his younger team-mate, 21-year-old Aneesh isn’t looking too far into the future either. His eyes are fixed firmly on the immediate challenges.

“Honestly, I am thinking about Asian Games and Commonwealth Games qualification at the moment,” said Aneesh, a fourth-year law student at Christ University. “Srihari and some others have done enough to match or better the top six timings from last Asian Games, I want to achieve that as well. Thankfully, I still have time to do that, perhaps at the Nationals next year.”

Adding to their bond is the fact that both train under coach Nataraj V at the Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre.

“Two of my most disciplined boys, they always pay heed to what I have to say,” Nataraj said with pride. “Akash has been training at the BAC since he was four while Aneesh has been training with me for the last seven years. Both are excellent swimmers and have the potential to achieve much more.”

For now, the city that has shaped India’s best swimmers can take quiet satisfaction in knowing that its next generation has already begun to make waves.