Swimmer Niranjan Mukundan may have missed making it to the finals list at the Tokyo Paralympics 2022, but he is a man on a mission, aiming for the gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, scheduled to take place at Birmingham next month. After winning gold, silver and bronze for different categories at the Para Swimming Cup 2022 in Prague and bronze at Championnat De France, the Bengaluru-based swimmer is riding high on success.
Mukundan is in Madeira, Portugal, now for the World Para Winning Championships 2022. Speaking to CE from Madeira, Mukundan calls himself a travel junkie and says he loves the European scenic beauty but he is not on holiday. “This sport has definitely broadened my horizon as I can travel from one part of the world to another. However, the opportunity to represent your country is what I would say the real privilege is. I definitely don’t want to mess it up,” says Mukundan. While travelling most of the year has been exciting for him, what he misses the most is “spending time with family”.
Mukundan was born with the medical condition called spina bifida (a birth defect in which an area of the spinal column doesn’t form properly) and has gone through 19 surgeries since he was nine months old.
“One of the doctors who performed the surgeries on both my legs suggested I try swimming and horse riding. My parents were confused with this because till the age of four or five, I was not able to walk and was carried everywhere,” recalls Mukundan, adding that the doctor was persuasive and therefore he started swimming in 2003. Mukundan feels water as an element had different plans for him and eventually fell in love with swimming.
He was noticed by one of the coaches at Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre who pointed out the potential in him and advised his parents to send him to para championships. “My parents were initially reluctant since they didn’t have much of an idea about how to take sports as a career, especially given my medical condition. But I went to competitions and did well. And as a kid, when you win a medal, everyone appreciates you, pushing you to want to do it again,” says Mukundan, who travelled to Germany in April for training and has been on a marathon to win medals since then.
Currently keeping a hawk’s eye on 2022 Commonwealth Games, Mukundan is someone who likes to achieve immediate goals. “I live in the moment and, honestly, I like it that way. Having said that, from an athlete’s perspective, 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris is round the corner and qualifications start from January 2023. As a swimmer, I have no time at all,” exclaims Mukundan, who is heading back to India after the Portugal tournament and is planning to train in the country for three weeks before going for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.