PANAJI
Goa bagged a total of 10 medals (1 gold, 2 silver and 7 bronze) at the 69th National School Games held in New Delhi.
Swimming itself contributed to seven out of the ten medals won by Goa. The rest three were bagged in taekwondo.
The star performer for Goa was undoubtedly Purvi Ritesh Naik. The 12-year old girl from Harvalem, Sanquelim who studies at St. John of the Cross High School, Sanquelim won three medals (1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze). In fact, Purvi won medals in each of the three events she had participated “ 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle.
Purvi clocked her career best timing of 1:03.69 to win a gold in 100m freestyle. Her effort of 2:16.81 fetched her silver in 200m freestyle while in 400m freestyle, she clocked 4:53.10 to bag a bronze in Girls U-14 category.
"Purvi stays focused by listening to Hanuman chalisa in the early morning before her day starts and also before her event. Her coach gives her last-minute tips how to finish with top speed and also boosts her confidence when she faces her competitors," Purvi’s mother Namrata Naik said.
Namrata further added, "Purvi keeps one target at a time in mind and tries to achieve it with all her strength and dedication."
It is to be noted that Purvi has been Goa’s prolific medal winner in swimming at the national level since last year.
She had won the “Best Swimmer Award” in ‘Girls Group 3’ category, a rare feat for a Goan swimmer at the national level at the 41st Sub-junior National Aquatic Championship held in Bengaluru in August earlier this year wherein she had bagged 3 medals (1 gold and 2 silver). Last year, during 40th Sub-junior National Aquatic Championship in Bhubaneshwar, Purvi had won 4 medals - 1 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze.
Apart from Purvi, Goa’s another young talented swimmer 14-year-old Aarohi Nilesh Borde, a student of Sharda Mandir High School, Miramar won a silver in 200m butterfly by clocking career best timing of 2:30.83 in Girls U-17 category.
Last year, during 68th National School Games in Rajkot, Gujarat, Aarohi had won two medals (1 gold and 1 silver) in 200m butterfly and 100m butterfly respectively in Girls U-14 category.
“I am really happy by Aarohi's efforts. This is the first year she has participated in u-17 and she has a silver medal. 200 m butterfly is the toughest event in swimming,” Aarohi’s father Nilesh Borde said.
Goa’s Pooja Tukaram Rawool was also among the medal winners in swimming as she clocked 2:18.73 in 200m freestyle in Girls U-19 category to bag a bronze.
All these three girls “ Purvi, Aarohi and Pooja - trains under head coach Sujith TA at the Khelo India Centre for Excellence, Goa.
Goa's Vihaan Shailesh Pednekar was the only boy from Goa to win a medal in swimming. He bagged 2 bronze in 100m backstroke and 200m backstroke with a timing of 1:06.27 and 2:22.61 respectively. 13-year Vihaan, a student of St John of the Cross High School, Sanquelim, trains at the Basavangudi Aquatic Center, Bengaluru under coach Surajit Ganguly.
Apart from swimming, Goa won three bronze in taekwondo. The medal winners being Lloyd Peter Dacosta (U-19 Boys 59-63 kg), Sohan Joe Fernandes (U-19 Boys 41-45 kg) and Nakul Girish Kedari (U-17 Boys U-35 kg).
