Visually Impaired Army Man Swims To Victory & Wins Gold In National Para Event
A visually impaired army officer won silver and gold medals in the 23rd national para swimming championships held from March 29 to 31 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Lt. Col. Dwarakesh, the Army's sole active-duty officer, is currently stationed at the headquarters in Khadki, Pune.
Not blind from birth, had to overcome many challenges
¡°Spirit can overcome challenges,¡± is what Lt Col Dwarakesh said after winning the medals.
And challenges he did face.
Lt. Col. Dwarakesh entered the Cadet Training Wing of the Indian Army through a technical entry in 2009, choosing the Corps of Military Intelligence.?
However, he lost his eyesight in 2016 due to a road accident.?
Despite this setback, he successfully climbed the Siachen Glacier in October 2021 and earned a shooting national medal in November 2023.?
Recently, he secured a gold medal in the 50m event with a time of 51 seconds and a silver medal in the 100m event with a time of 1 minute and 50 seconds.
Sports gave him vision for life
The 35-year-old Colonel shared with TOI that it is sports that has given him a vision for life.
Several hours of swimming practice - 5 hours daily - over the last few months is what led him to victory.
He's also been concentrating on improving his swimming technique.?
Unlike some other swimmers, he faces unique challenges. While they can just follow the coach's instructions, he has to listen carefully and then act accordingly.
He also takes significantly more time to correct even tiny errors in his technique.
Not just swimming, but he has also practised shooting.
He said, ¡°I worked out my schedule to practise both. However, in the last few weeks, I concentrated on swimming.¡±
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