Swimming is among the original five Olympic sports, having been a part of the event since its beginnings in 1896. Professional swimmers are admired all over the world for their exceptional abilities. In terms of the Olympics, the United States is far in front of all other countries. It’s not that Indians haven’t performed on the highest stage, but the truth that we’re unaware of Indian swimmers fills us with guilt as well as shame.
The Swimming Federation of India is the controlling and responsible body of swimming administration and advancement in India. Here are some of the greatest Indian swimmers of all time who gave it their all for the country.
Shamsher Khan
Shamsher Khan, who was born in 1933, is one of the strongest Indian swimming champions of all time. He was the first Indian swimmer to compete in the Olympics, doing so in the 1956 Summer Olympics. This was not surprising given that he set a personal best in the 200-meter butterfly tournament in 1954. Shamsher was the first one to break the then-existing winning streak at the national meet in Bangalore in 1955.
Arti Saha
Arti Saha, one more early Indian wonderful swimmer, was a long-distance athlete. She started swimming at the age of 4 in the British Indian West Bengal capital city of Calcutta, where she was born in September 1940. In 1959, Saha was titled the first Asian woman to swim across the English Channel. This came after being inspired by Indian swimmer Mihir Sen, who was unsuccessful in his attempt. In addition, she was also the first Indian female sportswoman to receive the Padma Shri Award in 1960. On August 23, 1994, the world lost two legendary women.
Bhakti Sharma
Bhakti Sharma is an Indian open-water swimming legend. She is the youngest woman ever to have established an Antarctic open swimming record. She is also the first Asian woman to accomplish this feat. Sharma swam 2.3 kilometers in 41 minutes 14 seconds in 1°C water. Bhakti has skillfully broken the record set by Lynne Cox and Lewis Pugh by swimming in all 5 oceans of the world.
Viradhawal Khade
Viradhawal Khade is the most well-known modern Indian swimmer. Virdhawal is a 2011 Arjuna Awardee from Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Khade represented India in the men’s 50m, 100m, and 200m freestyle swimming contests for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Despite his best efforts, including a novel Indian national record in the 100 m freestyle, Khade was unable to progress to the next round. Virdhawal’s bronze medal in the 50m butterfly event in 2010 gave India its first Olympic medal in 24 years.
