Sharath’s growth trajectory is an inspiration to all budding athletes in the country. Not only did he defy physical disability, but the ace swimmer also fought his way through infrastructural  and societal problems, en-route to becoming India’s most successful sportsperson. Sharath Gayakwad -Indian Paralympian Swimmer

1. India’s Most Successful Athlete
SharathGayakwad
Indian Paralympian Swimmer

2. Paralympian swimmer Sharath Gayakwad created
history at the 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon,
South Korea, by winning 6 medals for India.
In doing so, he created a new Indian record for
winning the most medals at a multi-discipline
event, previously held by PT Usha (5 medals at the
1986 Asian Games).

3. “When I was nine years old, my school in
Bengaluru made swimming compulsory for
everyone. Of course I had a problem, so they
asked me to take things slowly. So I started
paddling and then eventually learned how to
swim properly”, he said on how he started
swimming.

4. In 2002, Sharath came to know about the existence
of competitive para-swimming in India. This started
his epic journey.
“During my school days, I raced with mostly able-
bodied swimmers, and I did well, so I thought why
not train for it. By now I had realised swimming
was not just for fitness, but it was also about
success for me”, he said.

5. He was selected to represent India in several youth
competitions, before making his senior debut in
2006.
Gayakwad was included in the 2010 Asian Para
Games and in 2011, he went on to win two
medals.
A poor 2013 calendar year, saw him out with a
recurrent shoulder injury. This affected his game,
as Sharath did not meet expectations at the 2014
Para-Commonwealth Games.

6. Don’t retire, concentrate on swimming: Rahul Dravid
to Sharath
Sharath took Dravid’s advice seriously and went onto win six
medals in Incheon, eclipsing PT Usha’s 36-year old record.
This made him the most successful Indian
athlete at an international multi-sport event.

7. Post his victory, Sharath has co-founded
Gamatics.in, which aims to change the
infrastructural and financial issues that
plague para-sports in India.
“There is infrastructure, but the way it is
being governed is not right. We should
concentrate on tapping the young talent”
he said.

8. Sharath’s growth trajectory is an inspiration to
all budding athletes in the country. Not only did
he defy physical disability, but the ace swimmer
also fought his way through infrastructural and
societal problems, en-route to becoming India’s
most successful sportsperson.

9. Saluting the die-hard spirit of Sharath Gayakwad
Thank You