Inspiring Trully............. inspringgg

Meet The Paralympic Sportsman Who Broke P.T. Usha’s Records

Sharath Gayakwad: the paralympic who won over 90 medals and is now the first Indian to win six medals in a multi-disciplinary sport event. the Asian Para-games in Incheon, South Korea, 2014. He broke the record of legendary P.T. Usha who had won five medals at the 1986 Asian Games!

Sharath was a born with a deformed hand and took up swimming as a mandatory activity in school and gradually developed a passion for this sport.

After school, Gayakwad continued to pursue swimming as a fitness activity and participated in his first national level competition where he won four gold medals. After that, Gayakwad just went from strength to strength, as he was selected for 2003 FESPIC Youth Games in Hong Kong where he won one Silver and four Bronze medals.

Gayakwad’s passion for the sport and dedication has won him over 39 international medals and 55 national medals so far!
“How many people have a talent that can save someone’s life? Which sport enables you to help others? It is swimming. It is not just a sport activity but a life-saving skill and that is why I am so fond of it,” he says.

The disability is something which he doesn’t think about much now.

“It is a part of me and I have accepted it and even found a way where it doesn’t matter anymore. Yes of course I am at a disadvantage, but it doesn’t stop me from doing anything that I actually want to do,” he says.

Apart from the obvious difficulties, another challenge which Gayakwad faced was financial constraints. Arranging funds for the training, resources, etc. was something Gayakwad had to struggle with.

“I guess, this is the case with most para-athletes and not just me. There should be better facilities available,” he says.

A champion swimmer, Gayakwad is also an amazing coach and trains many students in swimming. An athlete or a coach, which part does he enjoy the most? “Coach!” he responds instantly.

“It gives an immense pleasure that I can pass on this skill to someone else. Of course I enjoy swimming too, but there is a different kind of satisfaction which comes with coaching,” he says.

We congratulate Gayakwad on his achievements. Indeed a charming personality, Gayakwad has inspired many people at such young age and we hope for a great performance from him at the next Paralympics.