“If there are no struggles, there is no progress.”

Well, the struggle is inevitable and it becomes arduous when you try something distinctive. However, the young swimmer of GIIS Ahmedabad, Kartikeya Patel of Grade 10D, considers the above adage as his mantra to success. The dedication, hard work, and sincerity of the 14-year-old boy brought laurels for the school as he bagged 6th position in the CBSE National Swimming Competition. 

He stood 6th in 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 200m freestyle in the national swimming competition. He also won four gold medals and an Overall Championship trophy in CBSE West Zone Swimming Championship. The Principal of GIIS Ahmedabad, Mr. Caesar D’silva congratulated the young boy for making his parents proud and wished him a bright future ahead. 

Sharing his experience of playing in the CBSE National Swimming Competition, Kartikeya said, “It was an enriching experience, however, others were even better than me. During the competition, I realized I had to improve a lot to perform better. I improved by 3 seconds while preparing for the 100m freestyle national competition and swimming is a game of seconds. Representing GIIS Ahmedabad at the national level gave me a confidence boost to improve my strokes which lacked during my practice sessions.”

Kartikeya showcased an exceptional level of motivation, dedication, and determination during his practice sessions. He used to practice for four hours a day for a month without missing out on any session. He believes that practice sessions help you to compete with a positive mindset to achieve success at any level. Although, the pressure of bagging a position is important, however, I always try to develop my skills and improve my timing.

Kartikeya got his motivation for swimming at the age of 5 when he completed a lap race without any assistance. “I started swimming at the age of 4 and now it has been 10 years since I have been swimming.” However, the young swimmer aspires to become a doctor.

When asked how he manages to balance academics and sports simultaneously, he said “I usually wake up at 4 am for swimming practice followed by school hours. For academics, I do not have any schedule and try to revise the chapters taught in the class. The subject teachers and class teachers are really supportive and always try to clear all my concepts and doubts. ” 

Appreciating the school management and faculties, Kartikeya’s mother said, “I would like to appreciate the teachers of GIIS Ahmedabad for putting in extra effort in every way. Right from Principal sir and Vice Principal ma’am for permitting him some time to reach the school late to the Physical Education teacher Jasvantsinh Darbar helping us with the paperwork for state or national level competitions. I am grateful that my child goes to the best school in the city i.e. GIIS Ahmedabad.”

Kartikeya is now focusing on the Khel MahaKumbh tournament, and State and National level competitions by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI). He will also be taking part in CBSE Cluster State and National tournaments based on the Class 10 prelims. 

Kartikeya has also participated in Khel Mahakumbh competitions and qualified for the nationals. He participated in the 4X100m medley relay and 4X100m freestyle relay race and bagged silver medals in both shifts.

We would like to congratulate Kartikeya for his achievements and wish him luck in all his future endeavors.