Strokes of success, spinal cord injury notwithstanding

CHENNAI: Recovering from a spinal cord fracture is not an easy feat. But if you have the willpower, you can get well soon and go on to even win medals in your chosen sport. Case in  point is Adhithya Dinesh, the 19-year-old swimmer who is recovering from a broken back. He recently won two golds and a bronze at the Khelo India university games 2021.

On January 29, 2022, Adhithya slipped and fell on the floor, beside the pool, fracturing his L4 and L5 spinal bones. This incident meant that he had to be bedridden for the next three weeks. He couldn’t even move on his own in that period. Needless to say, it was a physically and mentally challenging time for Adhithya.

Four weeks after his injury,  Adhithya slowly stepped into the water again for the first time. Upon returning to the pool, he was able to swim only 600 meters in one session, as opposed to his usual distance of 8-9 km.  Adhithya’s coach, the 2015 Dronacharya awardee, Nihar Ameen, stood by him like a rock and helped him wade through this difficult time. He trained Adhithya with a tailormade plan. With his parents’ and Ameen’s support, Adhithya, gradually increased his swimming mileage and worked hard to take part in the Khelo India championship.

But all this training did not mean he was completely alright. Unfortunately, Adhithya missed his main 100m butterfly stroke event, a stroke in which the spinal cord plays a major role. But, he did participate in the 50m butterfly stroke, bagging the gold. He swam through the pain to attain glory in the end.

“This victory is unexpected. With just two weeks of practice with my injury, it’s just incredible. This Khelo India success has uplifted my confidence level a mile high,” he said. The Salem-born Chennai swimmer, who is now pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering at Anna University, was an aquaphobe and was enroled in a summer swimming camp when he was six years old.

Thirteen years later, his house is adorned with more than 250 medals. Adhithya’s goal is to represent India at the Olympics and win medals. But first, he wants to make the ‘A’ cut for the soon coming Asian games. For the same, he has to bring his best from 52 seconds to 49 seconds in the 100m freestyle category. 

Hoping for his injury to heal completely in the next two months, Adhithya is giving his 100 per cent to better his strokes and timing.