Due to lack of infrastructure, leaving Bengal for practice in other states14-year-old Sanithi’s medal win at the national level

Ritika Chakraborty: Age is just a number. Barasat’s Sanithi Mukherjee has proved it once again. At just 14 years of age, Sanithi achieved tremendous success in the senior national-level swimming competition. She has won four medals. This is the first time Sanithi has represented the senior team. This success at such a young age in the first Short Course Senior National Championship held in Ahmedabad is undoubtedly praiseworthy.

In this competition, as the youngest competitor, Sanithi won a silver medal in the 100-metre butterfly. She won silver in the 200-metre butterfly, bronze in the 400-metre individual medley, and also a bronze medal in the 400-metre freestyle.

Previously too, in the Sub-Junior National Aquatic Championship, Sanithi had brought four gold and one bronze medal to Bengal’s tally. Sanithi and her family are happy with this success at such a young age. Her father, Sanjay Mukherjee, is a government school teacher. They used to live in Dhuliyan of Murshidabad, very close to the Bhagirathi river. From childhood, Sanithi was interested in the various water rides there. Since they themselves did not know how to swim, they decided to teach their child swimming. Sanithi first learned swimming under the coaching of Indranil Das in Barasat. In 2023, in Odisha, she became the best swimmer in the sub-junior category with three gold medals. She has also drawn attention in age-group international competitions. Sanithi’s father says, “This is just the beginning. She is 14 years old. The path ahead is even more difficult and far-reaching. Now she has to go much further and maintain consistency. There was no infrastructure in Bengal, and practice used to stop for four months, so the Swimming Federation of India arranged for her practice.”

However, even in this success of the girl from Bengal, there is some disappointment. Due to the lack of infrastructure, Sanithi moved from Bengal to Odisha and practices swimming under the Swimming Federation of India. Needless to say, it is not only Sanithi — several athletes from Bengal are now migrating to Odisha or other states. In Sanithi’s words, “Due to the lack of infrastructure in Bengal, I was forced to move to Bhubaneswar. Because to become a good swimmer, year-round practice is essential. My mother and I stay in Bhubaneswar. The goal now is to qualify for the Olympics in 2036. I will move forward with that goal.”