CHENNAI: A 15-year-old district-level gold medallist in swimming suffered a seizure and died at a Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) swimming pool at Guindy on Sunday morning.
The deceased Sai Sri Vatsan was a Plus One student at a private school. He had won the district-level gold medal in swimming and was preparing himself for the State-level competition this month.
“On Sunday morning, he reached the government swimming pool along with his father. He had taken a few dips in the pool when he started feeling uneasy and short of breath. He complained of back pain and the coach immediately pulled him out of the water,” said a relative of the victim, who was waiting at the Royapettah Government hospital mortuary to collect the body. A few minutes later, he had a seizure and the boy was taken to a private hospital at Guindy where he was declared ‘brought dead’.
“The victim completed his warm-up exercises and then began his practice in the swimming pool which was 6.5 feet deep. Previously, he was practising at Tambaram. Only three days ago, he enrolled himself at Guindy,” said a coach at the SDAT swimming pool.
The relative added that Sai Sri Vatsan had lost his mother last year due to illness. He was staying with his father, who works at a private firm, and his elder sister who is pursuing her undergraduate studies.
“Recently, Sai had health complications, but was keen on continuing his swimming practice,” the relative said.
Speaking to Express, the coach at the swimming pool said that for the last three days the boy had been very enthusiastic and would practise. He noted Sai was a good swimmer.
“Normally, we advise swimmers to have a light snack before swimming. Sai apparently had chapati which could have been difficult to digest,” he said.