Individual sport thrives for records and swimming is not an exception. Nepali swimming has been a struggler on its own. It is cruelly limited to a six-month of active spell in a year because of lack of indoor pools. The scarcity has clearly resulted in the dearth of quality swimmers hitting the country hard for its performance in the international stage.

But still there are achievers who deserve to be lauded for their feat under these circumstances. Currently, there are achievers who are in their teen and can excel in the discipline provided they are groomed and nurtured. Sirish Gurung of Nepal Police Club and Sofia Shah of Lincoln School have been dominant figures in Nepali swimming for the last few years. And joining their rank now stands one of the youngest girls in the pool who has dazzled everyone igniting new hopes for the sport at a tender age of 11.

Gaurika Singh’s brief domination at the Satdobato Swimming Complex came out of the blue when her mother Garima Rana — former SLC board topper — brought her back to Nepal on a two-month holiday from the United Kingdom. Gaurika has been learning swimming actively in UK and as she decided to plunge for a national championship in Nepal, a whirlwind struck when the prodigy shattered seven new national records.

Only a few amongst us have the caliber to utilise our potentials and leave a significant mark in our field. The number significantly lowers when we count the handfuls who leave their prints in the history during their early years. And Gaurika is one of them.

Born in Nepal, Gaurika’s family moved to the UK when she was two. Excelling just like her mother Garima, the debutante has left us all astounded. People are even drawing comparisons with Michael Phelps, who bagged eight gold medals in 2008 Beijing Olympics. The seventh grader left everyone with their mouths hanging open when she cruised to seven gold medals with a record timing during the 19th National Open Swimming Championships.

In the two-day event held on 17th and 18th July, Gaurika set three records the first and four the second. She set the records in 200m backstroke heat, 50m butterfly and 50m backstroke the first day. The second day, she rose to crescendo surpassing her competitors in 200m individual medley, 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle. In her debut participation in Nepal, she stole the limelight.

But this is not the biggest achievement she has yet made in the swimming. Gaurika took part in the London Regional Age Group Championship this year at the Olympic Park.

The victory was major as she won four gold, two silver and two bronze medals in the eleven year old girl’s category. Gaurika’s mom is elated.

Garima shares, “For a girl of Nepali origin, to go and perform in the international arena and standing out amidst the native population is a tough ask. A lot of times, we do not have the physical stature or build up compared to them and it gets difficult. But Gaurika has worked very hard and made us proud.”

Gaurika seems to have an excellent growth spurt and seems old enough to be in her mid teens from Nepali standards. Despite her physical stature, one can see her playfulness and her childlike quality when she smiles and interacts. Apart from swimming, she is also interested in football and roots for English Premier League outfit Manchester United. A lover of shopping, she also likes to watch reality shows like Dance Moms and Master Chef. Playing with her five-year old brother Sauren is another fun for her.

The girl of her confidence

When asked whether Gaurika had ever thought that she would be breaking seven national records at this tender age, she sounded the girl of her confidence. “Yes. I did believe that I would excel in the competition. Despite of that feeling, I did not want to sound boastful and told a lot of people later that I had not expected that.”

Garima adds, “Gaurika is very competitive but she is humble as well. She is the London champion for her age group so the victory was expected. Like she said, she did hope to do her best in the event but did not brag about it.”

But it was not very easy for Gaurika either. She adds, “In spite of my confidence, the setting was very different than the one that I am used to. I swim indoors most of the time. In this championship, I had to swim outdoors. The heat got me and I was a bit dehydrated. The depth of the pool, the chlorine content and other environmental factors were different than the pools in UK.”

“The environmental factors did affect her. She was eight seconds behind her personal best in 200 metre backstroke. Luckily she managed to break the records,” adds Garima.

An intense learner

Achievements don’t come easy. There is no short-cut to success other than hard work. This very much implies with Gaurika’s life. She has been undergoing intensive training for 13 to 14 hours every week that has strengthened her and helped her outperform competitors. She in fact has a tight schedule.

She practices in Barnet Copthall Swimming Club six days a week. Except for Tuesday and Thursday, she practices two hours a day in the evening. The other two days she practices for two additional hours in the morning. Saturdays are not an exception for Gaurika whose practice begins from 5:00 am in the morning.

She will be joining seventh grade from Habs Girls School which might seem that balancing academics and swimming an ordeal for others. But Gaurika takes it easy.

She enjoys school and says that swimming has in no way hindered her academics. Gaurika hopes to become a lawyer in future. She draws inspiration from her grandfather who is also a lawyer. She is influenced by her mom who says, “One needs to sort their priorities and schooling should always be placed on the highest level. After all, one needs education to be complete.”

Nature and nurture both creates achievers and it does not take much effort to see that her mother Garima has groomed her to be a winner. Her daughter’s success also takes a lot of effort in her mother’s part. Her mother has helped her create a suitable time table that has helped her maintain an integrity and balance in Gaurika’s school, sports and social life. She attends her daughter’s each and every swimming competition cheering and boosting her.

A Green inspiration

Christine Green has been coaching Gaurika for quite a long time and her inspirational mentoring has pushed her to work hard. Green is the source of inspiration for Gaurika. “She always has high expectations from me. She lines me up as an example in front of others. She knows my caliber and limitations and pushes me to strive for the best. When you have got a coach like that, you put an extra effort. My neighbours Thomas Cheng and Felix Cheng also inspire me. The 13 year old twins also train at Barnet Copthall and one of them is a national champion.”

Gaurika also looks up to Phelps and aspires to be like another American swimmer Missy Franklin who is a four-time Olympic gold medallist and holds the world record in the 200-meter backstroke. Gaurika has big dreams and wants to shoot for the moon. She hopes to participate in the South Asian Games, Asian Games and finally the Olympics representing her country Nepal within a few years.

Garima lets her daughter dream and says, “One is not going to reach to the apex unless you set high bars for yourself. If you are not going to dream big, you can never expect to reach the heights that have never been reached before.”

Although she is too young to be deemed a star, Gaurika is an amalgam of all the traits that requires for a successful individual. She has got the drive and passion, focus and discipline, competitiveness and confidence to excel in her field. She has got the consistency and a raw talent required in the making of a great sportsperson.

If she polishes her skills, who knows after few years she might be the next big thing on the international swimming scenario and inspire a new generation of swimmers. Her feat is praiseworthy but she still has a long way to go. DREAMS wishes her all the best.