Jodhpur(Rajasthan): The world has come to a standstill with the pandemic, but that could not shatter the dreams of the para swimmers of Jodhpur in Rajasthan as they are seen rigorously practising daily with the same spirit, perhaps cherishing the dream of winning a medal in the Olympics.
It is said that 'make your weakness your biggest strength, then every difficulty becomes easy'. Despite being handicapped, they have been practising for hours at the swimming pool in Dr SN Medical College in Jodhpur. Their coach Sher Singh said the commitment to win the Olympics is clearly visible in their eyes. Many players have qualified for the nationals and now set their eyes on the Olympics.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, coach Sher Singh explains that "these Divyang swimmers are practising with full dedication. Till now, we have seen only foreign physically challenged players swimming, but in the ensuing Olympics, our players will also be seen in the competition." The coach said there are dozens of para swimmers, who dream of achieving the feat that Para Olympian Avani Lekhara did. Lekhara is the first Indian woman to win a Para Olympic gold medal. Lekhara also won India's first gold medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
With a score of 249.6 points in the final event, the young shooter set a Para Olympic record. She won a gold medal in 10m air rifle standing and a bronze medal in 50m rifle at Tokyo 2020 Para Olympics. Coach Singh said, "Most of these para swimmers come from villages and with limited resources, swimming is the only way they can do anything. Ever since our players have brought laurels to the country by winning medals in the Olympics, their hopes have also got wings. "
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In a tragic incident, para swimmer Sahiram lost both his legs in a road accident. In 2019 while he was returning from college after giving the final paper of BA second year he met with an accident. Facing depression after he lost both his legs he came in contact with coach Sher Singh, who called him from Bikaner to Jodhpur. In the last two to three months, Sahiram's potential made him qualify for the nationals in para swimming.
There are some similar stories of other Divyangs preparing for para swimming in Jodhpur who did not give up after the accidents and their sheer determination to win further strengthened their intentions. Coach Singh said, "Although he could not practice for a long time due to the non-opening of the pool for two years due to Corona, now since the opening of the pool, he is into his regular practice. All the players are swimming diligently. Everyone is working hard by competing among themselves."
Swimmer Bheraram, who lost an arm in the accident, said that he had full faith in himself and the coach. He is confident that winning the medal in Para Olympics would bring pride to the country. Similarly, para swimmers, Kunti and Sita are also practising daily. Another para swimmer Yudhishthira said that he had won silver and gold medals at the state level and now focusing on the nationals.
Lauding Sahiram's efforts Singh said, "He is such a player, who learned swimming in three months. The practise was stopped due to the third wave of Corona. Now that the swimming pools have opened, they have strengthened their claim by winning three gold in the state level championship held on March 6."
