Driven by an inexplicable compulsion, every morning I rise at dawn and make my way to the swimming pool. Even as the whole city sleeps in complete isolation, I along with my batch mates plunge into the chill waters. A few deft strokes of warm up is followed by an arduous workout under the expert guidance of my coach. That's not all. After a quick shower, I rush to school and return to the pool in the afternoon for another grueling session. This has been my routine for the past few years. The objective is to cut our time by one-tenth of a second every time we race and there are all possibilities, that I may miss a medal by one-hundredth of a second. Yet, optimism has been my driving force, else I would in deep slumber on my mattress wrapped up in blankets .
Although I disliked swimming in the early days of my career, slowly the blue waters mesmerized of my dislike and me turned into love. The bonds of swimming enclosed me and I began to spend quality & quantity time in the pool. I never missed out on training even on days when both my body and psyche were worm out. .
I was filled with happiness when I won my first national gold medal - the touch of the yellow metal left me floating in the sky. My joy knew no bounds when I was selected to represent my country at the 1st Asian Schools Swimming Meet - to be held at Singapore. I trained hard at the month-long training camp. .
Finally, the D-Day arrived. I was in Singapore and it was the eve of the meet. The excitement was creeping up in me. I spent a peaceful night and woke up when golden sunrays touched my face through the window. I dressed up went to the pool complex and did warming up and stretching later, I sat down is the gallery, closed my eyes, cleared my mind and focused. As I stepped on the deck, adrenaline raced through my body. I gave my best shot but could not make is to the top. I wasn't all that disappointed, as I believe that " Participation is more important than winning.