Once scared of water, swimmer Aahil is state’s first to head to Deaflympics

Panaji: For someone who was hyperactive as a child and scared of water, Aahil Sheikh has done remarkably well to become the first Goan to qualify for the Deaflympics, an international multi-sport event for deaf athletes held every four years.Inspired by the Olympics and approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Deaflympics were first held in 1924 in Paris. The next edition, celebrating a century of the Games, has been scheduled for Tokyo, to be held from Nov 15 to 26. Among the 3,000-odd participants will be the swimmer from Goa.Aahil, 16, punched his ticket to Tokyo after achieving the qualification mark in 1500m freestyle during the competition in Gujarat early this week.“This is a very proud moment for all of us,” his father Noor Sheikh told TOI. “There are many people who have made him what he is today. He has a hearing impairment and uses a (cochlear) implant. Without that, he cannot hear anything. He has had to work hard to be here, but it would not have been possible without an adequate support system.”Family, friends, well-wishers, teachers, and swimming pool staff in Mapusa and Campal have all played their role in transforming Aahil’s fortunes. But the biggest impact has been left by the coaching of Sujith TA at the Khelo India State Centre of Excellence in Panaji. Since the two joined hands, results have followed.At the State Championships early this year, Aahil competed with regular swimmers and still finished on top in multiple events. He picked up four gold medals–1500m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 400m freestyle and 200 butterfly–besides a silver in 200m.Even at the National Deaf Senior Swimming Championship in Kerala, Aahil made heads turn with a new national meet record in 200m freestyle. He wasn’t done with just a meet record, and returned home with three more gold medals in 1500m, 800m and 400m. There was a bronze in the 100m butterfly too.“Sujith sir has worked wonders. Aahil was unwell for two weeks, down with cold, fever, and could not train. Then, sir was unwell too before the Nationals but still made it a point to train him. Sir skipped his holidays so that Aahil could train rigorously and get the desired results,” said Sheikh, who moved base from Bicholim to Panaji so that his son could get proper training.Aahil, a Class 10 student of People’s High School in the city, trains twice every day for more than five hours, starting with the morning session between 5 and 7.30am, and then 4-7pm later in the day.It wasn’t always so rigorous for someone who is a good hand at music too: Aahil is a grade five keyboard player.As a child, Aahil was hyperactive, so close friends suggested that swimming could calm him down. “He could not hear anything, could not listen to us. We decided on swimming, but he was very scared of water. Slowly he started liking it. There were many who guided us and turned this into a success story,” said Sheikh.When Aahil was refusing to get into the pool, help came from Sayali Prabhu Verlekar, his primary school teacher, who coaxed and motivated him. A private coach followed, and then regular classes at Mapusa where even the lifeguards played their ‘encouraging’ role to perfection.Aahil has just turned 16 and will compete in the open elite senior category. “He has a long way to go but making it to the Deaflympics makes us incredibly proud,” said Sheikh.