Deeksha makes waves as sole gold medallist for Tamil Nadu in swimming
“My journey so far has been surprisingly successful. I’d like to thank Mukundan, who helped me during my initial days and has helped me come so far,” she said, speaking to DT Next.
Deeksha Sivakumar
CHENNAI: IIt has been two days of swimming events, and Deeksha Sivakumar stands out as the sole gold medallist for the state. She finished atop the podium in the women’s 100m backstroke event on Sunday.
For Deeksha, the news of being the lone gold medallist came as a surprise. “I came to know about it late on Sunday night; I feel very happy,” she said after winning her first individual National-level gold medal.
Deeksha embarked on her swimming journey in 2017, describing it as “love at first sight.” After two years of swimming at a local facility, she opted for professional coaching in 2019 under KK Mukundan, a former National-level coach from Chennai. However, the global lockdown due to Covid-19 disrupted her progress, forcing her to stay indoors without practice for over nine months. She started practicing once again in December 2020.
Despite the challenges, Deeksha’s success in just three years is commendable. She clinched three gold and two silver medals at the 48th Junior State Aquatic Championship in 2022, earning her a spot to represent Tamil Nadu at the National level for the first time.
While participating in junior and senior events, an individual National level medal remained elusive until January 2023 when she secured a bronze in an individual event and silver in relay at the SGFI School Games at the National level. In late 2023, she started coaching under India’s first Dronacharya Awardee in swimming Nihar Ameen at the Dolphins Swimming Academy.
“My journey so far has been surprisingly successful. I’d like to thank Mukundan, who helped me during my initial days and has helped me come so far,” she said, speaking to DT Next.
On Monday, she won another bronze for the state in the women’s 50m backstroke event, she is also set to compete in the 4x100 relay and 50m freestyle events on Tuesday. With her board exams starting in about a week, “I haven’t gone to school in a long time. I have my board exams starting on February 7th, and I’m here swimming. I study at the Indian Public School, and they are really supportive,” she added.
Deeksha was a part of the National Games contingent in Goa last year, where she won a bronze medal for the state.
