She was all of two when she took to the water and made the pool her second home. Since then, there has been no stopping this gritty swimmer. Meet Malavika Vishwanath, the 18-year-old Bengalurean, who’s won several prestigious swimming competitions nationally and internationally. “My parents would take me to the apartment pool and when I had to leave, I’d start crying. My love for water began very early and I started competitive swimming when I was seven-years-old.” says Malavika, who trains at the Basavangudi Aquatic Centre.
Malavika has represented Karnataka at two editions of The National Games. In 2015, she was the highest individual medal winner for the state. As part of her overseas training in the USA, she entered her name in the All Time Top Ten Times of the historic Santa Clara Swim Club for the 200Y and 500Y freestyle events.
At the Karnataka State Senior Aquatic Championships, she won Golds in 100M, 200M, 400M, 800M and 1800M freestyle events and hence also won the individual championship.
At the senior nationals, she created a national record for the 1500M freestyle. In February 2016, she represented India at the 12th South Asian Games held in Guwahati. She won golds in the 400M and 800M freestyle and set new records. She also won golds as part of the 4x100M freestyle relay and the 4x200M freestyle relay also with new games records.
The water baby, who has just finished her 12th grade, has a chock-a-block schedule with all the heavy training she does. “We swim twice a day, every day, except Wednesdays and Sundays. My day starts off at 5.30 am and my training goes on till 8 am. In the evening, we swim from 6.30 pm to 8 pm,” says the student of Delhi Public School. How does she manage to study despite her hectic timetable? “It does get tough, but it’s manageable. I attend only one month of school in the entire year, but my school is very supportive and helps me when needed,” shares the mermaid.
The youngster is now moving to the US for her graduation. “I’ve committed to Drew University in New Jersey. I’ll be swimming for them as well. If I had stayed in India, then I’d have had to choose between swimming and education, but that’s not the case with the US university, which has a totally integrated system,” she explains. What message does she have for youngsters who want to pursue swimming on a competitive level? “You need to enjoy the sport and have love for it. Dream big and anything you dream, you can achieve.”
