Vadodara Girl Achieves National Para Swimming Success: 2 Golds, 1 Silver

Between March 29th and 31st in Gwalior, the Para Sports Association of India and the Madhya Pradesh Para Sports Association organized the National Para Swimming Championship where a daughter from Vadodara secured 2 gold and 1 silver medal. Para swimmer Garima Vyas clinched gold in the 50-meter and 100-meter breaststroke events and won a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay. With this, she has now won a total of 6 gold medals and one silver medal in the National Championships.

Garima Expresses Joy from Achievements

Garima Vyas, the para swimmer, expressed her happiness saying, “I have been fond of swimming since I was 7 years old. I have been participating in para swimming championships for the last three years. Previously, I participated in the National Para Swimming Championship held in Gwalior and won 2 gold medals in 50 meters and 100 meters. Furthermore, I secured a silver medal for Gujarat in this competition. Alongside, the men’s team from Gujarat also won a gold medal in the relay. I am very happy to have participated in this competition. My experience here has been very good, and I believe that the Gujarat team will become even stronger in the coming days.”

Mother’s Thoughts on Daughter’s Success

Garima’s mother, Kinjal Pandya, expressed, “I am very happy with my daughter’s achievements. I am pleased to see her progress in the future and fulfill her goals. Today, she has won in the National Championship. In the future, she aims to compete at the international level and bring home gold medals for the country.”

Struggle Faced by Garima

Currently, Garima is pursuing her studies in clinical psychology at MS University in Vadodara city. In 2016, when Garima was 16 years old, she went trekking with her family in Pavagadh. While swimming under the Dudhia Mahadev, a young man drowned, and in the effort to save him, Garima’s abdomen got injured severely due to the sharp rocks underwater. Consequently, she suffered a spinal cord injury, leading to her paraplegic condition. Despite losing in the Himmat Marathon, Garima fought back in life, and after two years, when the swimming pool reopened, she resumed her swimming training. Garima is mentally very strong and shows a positive attitude towards life. Alongside her studies and efforts for better health, she focuses on swimming for overall improvement.