KURNOOL: Fifteen-year-old swimmer K Shruthi from Kurnool is chasing an Olympic dream with relentless dedication, training up to six hours a day under the guidance of renowned coach A Nataraj Rao. A first-year Intermediate student, she has already emerged as one of Andhra Pradesh’s most promising young athletes. Her parents, K Ramakrishna, a private employee, and Pothuraju Madhavi, a homemaker, have been steadfast in encouraging her pursuit of excellence.
Shruthi’s consistent performances over the past four years have earned her recognition at district, state, South Zone and national competitions. At the 11th AP Sub-Junior and Junior Inter-District Swimming Championship held in Visakhapatnam on July 18-19, she won gold in the 100m butterfly, silver in the 200m backstroke and bronze in the 50m butterfly.
Earlier this month, she captained the Andhra Pradesh women’s water polo team at the 79th Senior National Aquatic Championship in Chennai. Her medal haul includes two golds at the 2025 SGFI State Swimming Championship in the under-17 category. She also competed in the South Zone Aquatic Championship water polo tournament in Hyderabad and earned honours at inter-district meets.
In 2024, Shruthi won gold in the 100m breaststroke at the SGFI Inter-District Swimming Championship, qualifying for nationals. The year before, she claimed two golds in AP State School Games under-14 category in freestyle events before stepping onto the national stage. She has also represented Andhra Pradesh in Khelo India competitions and other prestigious aquatic meets across the country.
“My dream is to represent India at the Olympic Games and win a medal for the country, a goal I pursue every day through hard work and continuous practice. Balancing studies and sport is challenging, but my parents always motivate me to keep moving forward,” Shruthi said.