CHENNAI: Like a duck to water, MS Nitheesh has had a natural inclination towards swimming ever since he started constructing memories as a child. Growing up watching his elder brother practice the sport, the teenager from Tiruneveli would often hit the pool and derive great pleasure from his experiences.
“Since my young age, swimming has always been more than just gliding through the water. Watching my elder brother, a former swimmer, giving up all the comforts of life for the sport, the love turned into passion when I started training as a professional in 2016. With courage and determination, I stepped into the battlefield for the first time in 2017,” he said.
It’s no wonder that he has evolved to become one of the brightest swimmers in the state. Among the sea of talent during the 40th Sub-junior and 50th Junior State Aquatic Championships held from July 12-15, the 14-year-old was one of the standouts with gold medals in three events — 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, and 100m breaststroke.
Despite being a natural at the sport, Nitheesh, who trains almost on a daily basis, has had many challenges. One of them is juggling between the sport and his education. But he has had the right support system to help him navigate that hurdle. He has the backing of his parents, his coaches, his school, and the SDAT. Like most budding sportspersons in the country, Nitheesh, who represented India during the 2024 Asian Age Group Aquatics Championships, aspires to be part of the Olympics in the future.
“Ever since the arena became my second home, attending school has become a rare ritual. I thank my school, Vivekananda Vidhyashram, for their immense support in allowing me to continue with private coaching classes. It’s tough to get free time but I have had huge support from my parents as well. I want to persevere to achieve my goal, which is doing the medley at the Olympics,” said Nitheesh of TDSA Tirunelveli, who looks up to British great Adam Peaty.
One of the persons who has been overseeing his development for 1.5-odd years is Satish Kumar B, a national-level coach. He is happy with his latest exploits. “The kid’s determination and stamina to improve every hour has been truly remarkable and rewarding. Even though he was not able to perform well on the international platform, he kept on pushing hard to compete in long formats and knock better timings. And this time, I’m all smiles to see him clocking seconds off his past records in three events under coach G Premkumar and receiving the accolades from the seniors,” Satish said.
With his immense love for the sport and his willingness to learn and improve, there’s no doubt that Nitheesh could go on to shatter many records in the days to come.