Niranjan Mukundan

Niranjan Mukundan
Personal information
Birth name Niranjan Mukundan
Country  India
Born (1994-09-04) 4 September 1994
Bangalore, Karnataka
Coach John Christopher
Butterfly, Freestyle
Medal record
Representing  India
Men's Para-Swimming

Niranjan Mukundan was crowned as the Junior World Champion in the year 2015. He was born on 4 September 1994 in Bangalore, Karnataka. He is an Indian para-swimmer and trains with fellow GoSports Foundation scholar and London 2012 paralympian Sharath Gayakwad, under coach John Christopher.

Early years

Niranjan was born in Bangalore, India in 1994 with a physical deformity called Spina Bifida. It was a difficult journey to live with incomplete development of the spinal cord, and clubbed feet, but that did not deter Niranjan from dreaming big. With the support of his parents, he started learning swimming and progressed very quickly. Niranjan attended the Jain University in Bangalore for higher education, where he was given encouragement for training.

Career

Early career

Niranjan claimed the silver medal twice in 50m butterfly at the Paralympic nationals in Mumbai, 2004–2005 and Kolkata, 2005-2006.[1] At the state aquatic championships, Bangalore he won silver medal in 2007 and bronze in 2009 in Water polo.[2]

2012

2012 was a fruitful year for Niranjan, at the national swimming championship in Chennai, he won three gold medals, one silver in swimming and one bronze in Water polo.[3] Mukundan won his first international medal, a bronze in 200m freestyle at the IDM German Swimming Championship in Berlin.[4]

2013

In 2013 he won further international medals at the IWAS world junior games in Puerto Rico, clinching two silver in 100m freestyle and butterfly along with two bronze medals in 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle.[5] He soon became world number 17.[6] At the 13th para national swimming championship in Bangalore, he won one gold, a silver and two bronze medals.

2014

In the IWAS world junior games in Stoke, Mandeville, U.K. Niranjan won a whopping eight medals, three gold, two silver and three bronze.[7]

2015

On 1 November 2015, he won the state's prestigious Kannada Rajyotsava Prashasti. He also received the National Award (best sportsman with disability) for his exceptional achievement in the field of Sports, Vignyan bhavan, Delhi. He won 10 medals(7 Gold & 3 Silver) in the World Junior Games held at stadskanaal, Netherlands and was also crowned as the "Junior World Champion".

Personal

Niranjan hails from a middle-class family from Bangalore. His father used to work as independent consultant and mother works as a manager with Ernst and Young. Born with a medical condition called Spina bifida and with clubbed feet, he has undergone as many as sixteen surgeries already. He was advised by the doctors to undergo swimming to strengthen his leg muscles. His mother took him to the swimming club in Jayanagar, Bangalore and it is here that coach John Christopher spotted and promised to turn him into an international level swimmer.[8] He has undergone as many as 16 surgeries since birth.

References

  1. ↑ Paralympic junior nationals
  2. ↑ State Aquatic Championships
  3. ↑ National swimming championship, Chennai.
  4. ↑ IDM, Berlin 2012
  5. ↑ IWAS, Puerta Rico
  6. ↑ Niranjan Mukundan
  7. ↑ IWAS, 2014
  8. ↑ sportskeeda.com

External links

[1]

  1. ↑
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