Trisha is not only a champion swimmer, but a very good athlete and is an engineer in making

She might not be an acclaimed athlete of national fame, but she definitely possesses the character of steel. She has the perfect synergy of mental and physical strength and it’s her passion to excel that has helped her win 11 gold medals in Sangathan 2010 -- a month long Inter-Institutional Sports Meet of Amity.

Eleven gold medals in any level of competition is an accomplishment and if it comes in two different fields, it makes the achievement more valuable. And Trisha Choudhury is relishing her new found success, which she achieved by winning the yellow metals in swimming and athletics in Sangathan.

“I had been into sports since I was a kid. My father, who is an engineer, is a sports lover and has been into sports himself. My younger sister is also a swimmer and represents her school in national meets. So, sports is in our family,” says the 19-year-old B.Tech (Nanotechnology) student of Amity University, Noida.

Speaking about her foray into swimming, Trisha said that her mom used to take her to the school swimming pool (DPS, Noida) and it was from there that she got interested in the sport. “While I was kid (4-5 years old), my mom used to take me to swimming in school. We used to go early and I used to see people swim. It was from there that I got interested in the sport. Thereafter, I have been under SAI coaching at Talkotora Stadium. But since the pool got closed for Commonwealth Games, I have started practising at different places,” said Trisha, who has represented Uttar Pradesh in the Senior National Swimming Championships.

The swimmer, who made a record in 100m butterfly at CBSE Nationals, Rohtak in 2009, said that she was participating in the national tournaments since the last four years. “But I can’t make it my career. The sports scene here is quite dismal. I want to continue but I don’t see much hope. As for the benefit from the sport, apart one or two scholarships, I can just say that it has helped me remain physically fit and nothing more,” said Trisha.

“There aren’t much funds for sports here and for swimmers in this part of the country, the climate too is not conducive. There is no pool for swimmers during winters. To it, we don’t have proper guidance regarding our diet and sports science. International swimmers have a set of team, which looks after their all needs. So, don’t expect even the best of Indian swimmers to compete with the best of the world. We have a long way to go,” added the swimmer, who also went on to win three gold medals in athletics.

“In swimming, basically there was no competition at my level,” admitted the youngster candidly, stating that she had enough stamina and caliber to compete in athletics as well. “It was a bit tough in athletics, but I have enough stamina and could have participated in even more events,” said Trisha, who has won a bronze medal in Junior National Aquathalon Championship.

Gold Medals: Swimming

50m freestyle
100m freestyle
50m backstroke
100m backstroke
50m breaststroke
100m breaststroke
50m butterfly
100m butterfly

Athletics:

400m
800m
4X100m relay