CHENNAI:In most cases, when an upcoming sportsperson is asked how he/she got into their respective sport, the likely answer is that one of their family members was the reason. Or that they went to watch the sport and instantly fell in love with it. But not Janhavi Girish. For hers is a tale of hope and determination that is finally reaping fruits more than a decade later.
Janhavi has been performing at a rate that has made her one to watch out for in the near future. She was born premature, and her parents’ main aim was to make sure she made it through those initial stages in a stable condition. “However, she barely ate anything, and that wasn’t a good thing. That was when doctors suggested putting her in the pool, so that she gets some exercise, which would make her hungry. At that point, I never thought she would swim competitively. But slowly, she became interested in the sport, and it was helping her develop,” said B Girish, Janhavi’s father, a renowned swimming coach in the national and State level.
Janhavi says it was a gradual process. “Despite being involved so deeply with swimming, my father never forced me. What started off as an exercise in maintaining my health and improving my physical state became a passion,” she shares. Janhavi first got into the pool when she was two years old. “But as I went underwater, the interest increased. That’s when I started going for practise with my father. It helped that a successful swimmer like J Agnishwar and his father JP sir were there to motivate me,” said the 14-year-old, whose father is the coach at the Turtles Swimming Club that runs from the Anna swimming pool near Marina Beach.
Jahnavi also credited her mother, Prabhavati, for her sacrifices. “We are vegetarians, but for my swimming needs, we decided that my diet should include some meat. And my mother began preparing non-veg food. I’m grateful to her.”
Having ended 2016 with a slew of gold medals, Janhavi can now look forward to completing her Class 9 in peace at her school, Asan Memorial.