President awards Punith Nandakumar for swimming against the tide and winning

For Bengaluru-based para-swimmer Punith Nandakumar, receiving the best sportsperson with disabilities award from President Ram Nath Kovind was a dream come true which he will cherish for the rest of his life.
An excited Punith says, “These awards are recognition for all the effort and perseverance I have put in all these years. When the President mentioned my name, it took me by surprise as I never expected to receive an award from the first citizen of our country. This was indeed a proud moment and will help to push me even harder in upcoming events. “
Punith’s immediate challenge is to represent India in the Asian Para Games, scheduled to take place in China next October. “I have begun practising for the qualifying rounds which will take place in July under the guidance of my coach, Sharath Gayakwad. I have been practising through two sessions, both morning and evening, by getting body positions, movements and leg kicks right - key factors in setting the tempo to win big tournaments.”
In his career spanning over a decade, Punith has won 13 international medals. However, the COVID outbreak has been a setback for Punith as swimming pools remained closed and he could not practise regularly. “It’s not only for me. Covid has affected almost everyone, so I have taken things in my stride. We are not getting sponsorship like pre-COVID times, which has hit us hard. Now with swimming pools opening for athletes, without harping on what happened before, I am making the most of it by practising rigorously,” he adds.
Punith has also won in swimming championships in Jakarta, Poland, Berlin and South Korea. Though he trained in taekwondo, he decided to concentrate on swimming as there are no para-taekwondo events.
“I was an active kid, so the transition phase was easy. The skills required for taekwondo and swimming are completely different. Grit and determination helped me pick up swimming nuances early,” he sums up.