Assam Swimmer Shivangi Sarma Wins Fourth Gold In Khelo India

A 17-year-old Shivangi Sarma from Assam won her fourth gold at the Khelo India Youth Games 2020 on Sunday. She won the women's under-21 100m freestyle crown in 59.26 seconds. Shivangi won two gold medals on the opening day of the swimming competitions. On January 17,  she bagged her third gold medal. She won the Girls U21 400m Freestyle with a timing of 4:34.55 to bag the top medal, defeating Tamil Nadu's Bhavika Dugar (4:55.64) and Haryana's Jasmine Gurung (5:06.31), who bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Karnataka's Khushi Dinesh (4:35.28) bagged her third gold medal of the KIYG as she won the Girls U-17 400m Freestyle, with Tamil Nadu's V Varsha (4:38.91) and Maharashtra's Kiara Bangera (4:38.95) finishing with the silver and bronze respectively.

Key Takeaways:

• Karnataka and Maharashtra Swimmers continued their domination at the Khelo India Youth Games 2020 this weekend.
• Assam's 17-year-old Shivangi Sarma won the women's under-21 100m freestyle, the Girls U21 400m Freestyle with a timing of 4:34.55 to bag the top medal, defeating Tamil Nadu's Bhavika Dugar (4:55.64) and Haryana's Jasmine Gurung (5:06.31), who bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively
• Karnataka's Khushi Dinesh (4:35.28) also bagged her third gold medal of the KIYG as she won the Girls U-17 400m Freestyle.

Shivangi said she has been working hard to earn her state the medals. "I am very fortunate to have the full support of my parents, and I believe that I have been able to win the medals here because of the hard work I have put in on a consistent basis. I am also happy to have won my third gold medal for Assam, it is something that I have always wanted to do. However, looking at the bigger picture, it is just the start for me, and I aim to represent India at many international competitions, and bring laurels to the nation," the energetic swimmer said to kheloindia.gov.in after winning her third medal.

Also Read: Don’t let the bronze change the colour of your heart: Mary Kom to Sakshi Malik

How swimming happened

Shivangi is a student of the Bal Bharti School in New Delhi. She claims that due to her Swimming sessions, she is forced to stay away from her family. "It is obviously a tough thing for any athlete to stay away from their family and their home for such a long time, but that's the sacrifice that we all have to make. I am presently based out of Delhi, and it is because I get to use the best facilities and coaching there at the Talkatora Stadium," said Shivangi.

On Friday, Shivangi had won her first two gold medals in the Girls U21 200m Freestyle and Girls U21 800m Freestyle events to help hosts Assam rise in the medals tally.

"Swimming has been given more importance in the last few years. The government and the administration are supporting all the sports financially. A sportsperson incurs many expenses such as travel, lodging and so on, therefore it's good that the government is supporting the athletes financially," the swimmer had earlier said, TOI reported.

The swimmer from Assam said, "I have worked hard in the last few years. I am training well with my coaches. I would like to tell all the athletes from Assam, who will be participating in the Khelo India Youth Games, that make yourself and Assam proud."

READ: Visually Impaired Swimmer Eyes Paralympic Gold In Tokyo 2020

Feature Image Credit: kheloindia.gov.in

Read More Stories By Ria Das