Fr Agnel swimmers shine at state event

Swimmers from Fr. Agnels Sports Center, Vashi, put up a sterling show at an equestrian competition held in Balewadi, Pune, on August 26 and 27

The 72nd Senior State Swimming Championship was organised by the Maharashtra State amateur Aquatic Association, the governing body for the sport in the state.

The best performance at the event came from Viraj Prabhu who clinched three gold medals in the 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle, and a bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke.

Rutuja Udeshi, a student of KBP College, bagged a gold medal in the women’s 50m breaststroke clocking 37.82 seconds. She also bagged a bronze medal in 200m breaststroke. Swimming for Thane, she won a silver and two bronze medals in the 4x50 mix medley relay, 4x100 freestyle relay and 4x100 medley relay.

Rutuja and Viraj have been selected to represent Maharashtra at the Senior Nationals to be held in Ranchi, Jharkhand, in September, which is also the qualifying event for the Asian Swimming Championships 2016.

In the age-group equestrian event in relay competition, Arya Kripalani won two bronze medals while Siddhi Vanmali clinched a sliver and a bronze medals. Both are from Fr Agnel School. Navi Mumbai Jyotsna Pansare won two gold medals in the 50m butterfly and the 50m backstroke, and a bronze medal in the 100m butterfly event. She broke the meet record in the 50m butterfly with a time of 29.10 seconds to qualify for the Senior Nationals.