Swimmer overcomes fear, brings bronze

Three years ago, Neil Contractor was afraid of entering the swimming pool. Whenever his parents took him to a pool, his eyes would fill up with tears. But today, this 12-year-old has not only overcome his fear, but has also won a national medal in swimming - bronze in the 200m breaststroke at the 36th National Junior Aquatic Championships in Jaipur last week.

“I was very scared. I don’t know the reason why it made me cry,” Neil admitted. However, on his parents’ insistence, he donned the swimsuit. A few months on, he participated in a club competition, but finished last in the 25m freestyle event.
“I was the last to reach the finish. That upset me. At the same time, it pushed me to pursue the sport more rigorously,” said Neil, a student of Ahmedabad International School.

Neil’s efforts did not go in vain; and in 2007, his second year in club competition, he returned with a gold medal. This changed the boy’s perception of the sport. “Everyone enjoys a win. When I won, I started enjoying it,” he said. In the 2008 state championships, Neil finished third on the podium in the breaststroke to qualify for the junior nationals. “He always strives to achieve more. This quality earned him the bronze in Jaipur, with a career-best performance of 2.49s in the breaststroke,” said the swimmer’s father, Himanshu.

Neil has not only shifted his focus from sprint to medium-distance events like the 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley, but has also bid adieu to table tennis. “Concentrating on two sports was difficult. So, I had to so away with table tennis,” said Neil, whose daily practice includes five hours of swimming.