Wrestler is all heart
Jumping into a wrestling ring would be the last thing on the list for someone with a heart condition.
But for Kartik Swamy, it’s always been at the top of his priorities.
Despite living with a fragile heart condition all his life, the 20-yearold from Glendene has dedicated his life to the sport.
He is now fighting for the Hughes Academy wrestling title on May 2.
‘‘My parents are still a little hesitant about my wrestling.
‘‘They have never come and watched me.’’
Swamy’s parents were told by doctors in Fiji their son would not live to see his 14th birthday.
He was born with a mosaic mutation in his heart which gives him trouble when his heart rate rises.
‘‘My heart rate gets too high, so not enough blood is getting to my brain,’’ he says.
The family moved to New Zealand in 2002 when Swamy was 7, his parents always under the impression their son’s days were numbered.
On at least six occasions he blacked out during his childhood years, requiring medical assessment.
A defibrillator was inserted near his left pectoral when he was 11, which gives him a shock every time his heart rate gets too high.
‘‘At first it felt like someone was hitting me,’’ Swamy says.
‘‘The older I get, the higher the voltage, it feels like someone’s hitting me with a sledgehammer.
‘‘When I was 14 or 15 I was really scared of it.’’
It wasn’t long after his pacemaker surgery that Swamy, despite all the obstacles, knew what he wanted to do.
‘‘I was flicking through TV channels and I saw the wrestling match between Eddie Guerrero and Ray Mysterio Jr.
‘‘From that day on I said: ‘ I want to do that’.’’
In 2009 he joined Glenside Boxing Gym on Symonds St under the tutelage of trainer Simon Randall.
The gym has since moved to Eden Tce and been renamed GoodFellas Fitness.
Swamy is now a parttime personal trainer which supports his hospitality career.
Swamy initially kept quiet about his condition until one training he got shocked three times, forcing him to confess.
But his determination has seen him stick with it and through his MMA, kickboxing and boxing training, Swamy has learned breathing techniques to control his heart rate.
‘‘Kartik made it clear he didn’t want any special treatment,’’ Randall says.
‘‘He’s hugely determined, some would say stubborn. He’s been proving the health professionals wrong.’’
In September 2013, doctors cleared Swamy to use new medication, allowing him to take on heavy exercise and follow his dream of pro wrestling.
Swamy came across Hughes Academy, and the rest is history.
He is taking on Charlie Roberts in his first championship match on May 2 at the Kelston Community Centre.
The wrestlers train three hours every Saturday together to go over every move, lock and body slam.
While most of pro wrestling is entertainment for the fans you still need to be careful, Swamy says.
‘‘You’re holding someone’s life in your hands and putting your own life at risk every time you step in the ring.’’