Bengaluru, July 4: At times, she misses the carefree pleasures her peers enjoy and occasionally experiences a sense of solitude, but all of that has been worth it for 14-year-old swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu, who is gearing up to fulfil her dream of competing at the Olympics later this month. The Bengaluru swimmer, who studies in class ninth, is set to be the youngest member of the Indian contingent at the Paris Olympics.
“Sometimes I miss the fun generally kids of my age have. I do not go out much with friends and feel lonely. But then I wanted to swim and I wanted to go to the Olympics,” Dhinidhi told PTI Bhasha in an exclusive interview at her residence.
“I am the one who chose this path for me. With that comes a lot of sacrifices but I do feel different, extraordinary and proud. At 14, I am going to the Olympics, so all the sacrifices are worth it,” she added. The Olympic cycle has been an underwhelming one for Indian swimming as none of the swimmers were able to breach either the ‘A’ or ‘B’ qualification time. But Dhinidhi has been on a roll, winning medals at the National Games and the senior National championships last year.
Her performances this season made her the top-ranked Indian female swimmer with the Swimming Federation of India handing her one of the two Universality places and an opportunity of a lifetime.
“I knew that I had a chance because I have been working really very hard but it was surprising that I got this chance so early in my career. Being the youngest one in the Indian contingent is a big honour.” (PTI)
