Dubai-based swimmers create ripples in India
dubai — Dubai-based Indian swimmers created ripples in the 44th Glenmark Junior National Aquatic Championships and the 34th Glenmark Sub-Junior Aquatic Championships held in India, with four of them returning with a whopping 17 medals.
Adithi Balaji, Tanish George Mathew, Aakash Deep Singh and Shakthi Balakrishnan were part of the nine-member team from Induss Sports Academy in Dubai, who took part in the competitions held at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Swimming Pool, in Balewadi, Pune, Maharashtra, earlier this month.
Seven of the swimmers took part in the 44th Glenmark Junior National Aquatic Championships, while two participated in the 34th Glenmark Sub-Junior Aquatic Championships. The team was coached by Dronacharya award winner S Pradeep Kumar.
Adithi won three medals, while Tanish returned with a rich haul of eight medals. Aakash won two medals. Shakthi clinched four medals in the 34th Glenmark Sub-Junior Aquatic Championships.
The 13-year-old Adithi won gold in the 50 metres breaststroke with a time of 0.36.69 seconds. She also took the gold in the 100m breastroke and was in line for a hat-trick of gold medals but missed out. Adithi, from Puducherry and representing the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, had to settle for a silver in the 200m breaststroke but she did create a new meet record in the event.
She also finished fourth and fifth in the 200 metres individual medley and the 100 metres freestyle. Adithi had won a silver and a bronze in the 100 metres breaststroke and 50 metres breaststroke respectively in the Glenmark 33rd Sub-Junior National Aquatic Championships held in Bengaluru, last year.
Adithi, along with 14-year-old Karnataka lad Tanish, who sent three National and one meet record to oblivion, have been selected in the India squad for the 9th Asian Age Group Swimming Championship 2017 which will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from September 9 to 16.
Meanwhile, 12-year-old Shakthi, representing Tamil Nadu, clinched gold in the 200 metres freestyle by clocking 2:19.52 seconds. She won silver in the 100 metres freestyle with a time of 1:06.27 seconds and another silver in the 200 metres individual medley. Shakthi had a time of 2:38.62 seconds.She took the bronze in the 100 metres butterfly with a timing of 1:12.46 seconds.
james@khaleejtimes.com