PANAJI
Drishti Marine, a state government-appointed lifesaving agency,made Goa proud at the recently concluded 21st National Masters Swimming Championship, with managing director Ankit Somani leading the team’s tally with five golds and one silver. The pan-India event, held in Hyderabad, where Drishti Marine lifesavers Ashwin Ghag and Akash Fulkar also won bronze medals, saw participation from swimmers across age groups and competitive categories.
Somani, who competed in the 40–44 age category, delivered a standout performance, clinching gold in the 50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 50m breaststroke, silver in the 100m freestyle and contributing to two team golds in the 4×50m freestyle relay and 4×50m medley relay.
Among the other podium finishers, lifesaver Ashwin Ghag (40–44 age group) won bronze in the 100m breaststroke, finished fifth in the 50m freestyle and delivered a near-podium performance in the 50m breaststroke. Lifesaver Akash Fulkar (30–34 age group) also secured bronze in the 50m freestyle, along with fourth-place finishes in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle races.
In the 55–59 age group, Drishti Marine lifesaver Sakharam Bandekar secured fourth place in the 400m freestyle, fifth place in the 200m freestyle and finished within the top 10 in both the 50m and 100m freestyle. Sarat Misra (45–49 age group) narrowly missed a podium in the 100m breaststroke, taking fourth place, along with fifth place in the 50m breaststroke and sixth place in the 50m freestyle. Vinod Salelkar (45–49 age group) earned two fifth-place finishes in the 100m and 50m freestyle and was placed seventh in the 200m freestyle. Dipesh Velip (30–34 age group) competed consistently across multiple freestyle and breaststroke events.
Drishti Marine personnel have worked closely with coach N. Arvind, who brings over a decade of coaching experience and more than 20 years as a competitive swimmer.
Organised by the Swimming Federation of India, the National Masters Swimming Championship is one of India’s premier competitive events for adult swimmers, featuring structured age categories and officially timed races governed by national-level aquatic regulations.
