Suyash Jadhav The only swimmer from India at the Rio Paralympic Games

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Sep 07, 2016: Fifteen years on from a tragic mishap that left him with both arms amputated just short of his elbow, Maharashtra’s Suyash Jadhav has his eyes locked in on winning India its first Paralympic medal in swimming.

 

The only swimmer from the country to qualify for the Rio Paralympics starting September 7, the 22-year-old will be competing in the S7 category of the 50m butterfly event. And his story is yet another testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

The son of a national level swimmer who wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and even better his achievement, Suyash entered the pool at a young age in his native Solapur. However, tragedy struck when he was a class VI student. Suyash touched a loose electric wire and received a massive jolt, which resulted in both hands being amputated just short of his elbow.

Speaking to TOI in June, Suyash recalled the horrible incident. "Initially I did not feel the loss of my hands as my parents, who were anyway feeding me, continued to do so for few more years. It was only later when I became a teenager that they asked me to take care of daily needs myself. Even I felt the need of my hands then," he said. "But not for minute was I disappointed and I quickly learnt to get through my daily chores without any problem."

It was during a family’s visit to a shrine that awakened the swimmer in him. "My parents were inside the shrine and I was in the care of my uncle. I wanted to dive into the temple tank and swim but he dissuaded me. But I nevertheless jumped in and swam with ease. Thereafter life had been one long beautiful journey," revealed Jadhav.

Jadhav sealed his berth for the Rio Paralympics with an ’A’ qualifying mark this year. Prior to that, his major success in the pool was when he won a silver medal at the IWAS World Games in Russia in 2015 and gold at the Winter Open Polish Championships. This is his first Paralympics.