Who is Dhinidhi Desinghu? All you need to know about 14-year-old Paris-bound Indian swimmer

Dhinidhi Desinghu will be the youngest Indian athlete at Paris Olympics 2024.

As a teenager, one would probably get a bicycle or learn an art like music, dance or martial arts. From the busy Garden city of Bengaluru, a certain 14-year-old has not only learned how to swim but also will be representing India in the grandest stage of them all, the Olympics.

Fourteen-year-old Dhinidhi Desinghu is the young phenomenon who will carry the tricolor to the swimming pools of Paris Olympics 2024. In a country with close to one-fifth of the world’s population, it might be baffling to know that we still search for world-class swimmers.

But much like gold which is found as grains amongst the huge alluvial deposits, India seems to have unearthed a talent who could win many accolades for the nation. Let’s know find out more about the newest sensation in the Indian sports arena.

Family and introduction to swimming

Much like every Indian, the duo of Jesitha Vijayan and Desinghu Pundi Srinivasan dreamt of achieving big in sports and ended up studying engineering.

But the love for sports existed in their blood and that’s why when their daughter Dhinidhi Desinghu refused to join the swimming classes, the couple decided to learn and be a regular at the pools.

Desinghu was put into a swimming class at the age of six to move from cartoons to be and play with other kids. But the sight of water threatened her and since the fees were non-refundable the parents decided to jump in.

Also Read: Paris Olympics bound swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu included in TOPS core group by sports ministry

It was the sight of her parents in the water that helped her get the courage to put her head inside the water. Ironically, since then she has put her head down and just focused on improving herself both in the pool and at school.

Studying in ninth grade, she hasn’t been a regular feature in classrooms but ensures her grades are good enough to keep her parents happy. The primary focus of the 14-year-old is in swimming and her biggest supporters are her family and friends.

Early stages in swimming

With her social and swimming skills on the rise, her parents decided to give her taste of the pressure of competitions. The youngster felt the wrath as she would fall sick, feel uneasy seeing her competitors, or just refuse to jump. All of that was altered in a day, as she had to experience the winning feeling.

In a brief race, where she had to hang onto a board and execute the kick, Dhinidhi secured the bronze medal and she realized that she needed more of it. It was the liquid propellant that Dhinidhi needed and she started soaring to bigger heights in state-level competitions. That is when her parents decided to take the next step in her career.

Swimming for personal glory

To utilize her full potential, she was enrolled in Dolphin Aquatics, run by the well-known coach Nihar Ameen in 2019. Here, under the close supervision of Madhukumar BM, she began a more systematic training program that helped her develop into the swimmer she is today.

While other kids enjoy their adolescence with television and smartphones, Dhinidhi’s day is well-planned with specific workouts to improve her skills. She finds joy in swimming and has ensured her life is around that. She knows her routine might be boring, but the teenager finds peace in the fact that it is what it takes to be the best.

Also Read: Teenager Dhinidhi Desinghu making golden splash at National Games 2023

Both the choice and Dhinidhi’s daily efforts in the pool were fruitful. She won gold and broke the national record in the 200m freestyle in the Guwahati Senior National Aquatic Championships in 2023. She broke Shivani Katariya’s nine-year record.

Dhinidhi finished the race with a time of 2:04.24 secs. Her name has now become a regular feature in the national swimming circuit.

Swimming for nation’s glory

She was the youngest swimmer in the competition and the Bengaluru girl rewrote the history books in the 200-meter freestyle.

The record-breaking gold in the nationals helped her make the cut for the Asian Games 2020, where again she was part of the team that broke the record for women’s 4×100 freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay. 

Her top rankings this season, combined with her medal-winning exploits at the senior National championships and National Games last year, earned her one of the two Olympic Universality spots from the Swimming Federation of India (SFI).

The young swimmer is honored and has a fantastic opportunity now that her talent has been recognized. The 14-year-old knew she had the chance to make it to the Olympics and Dhinidhi wants to experience as much as possible since at such a young age.

The record breaking athlete can’t wait to live in the Olympic Village and witness the best athletes in the world. Experts say that this experience will do a world of good to her confidence.

She could also bring a medal for the nation in the future Olympics to come. She is more excited to meet her idol Katie Ledecky who won an Olympic Gold at the age of 15 in 800m freestyle.

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