The Bengaluru para-swimmer won four gold medals and two silvers at the 2023 Para Swimming World Series in Berlin.
Published May 16, 2023 | 12:29 AM ⚊ Updated May 16, 2023 | 5:30 AM
Niranjan Mukundan with his medals at the 2023 Berlin World Para swimming Series. (Supplied)
Wherever Indian para-swimmer Niranjan Mukundan goes, he does not believe in winning just a single medal. Instead, he keeps up his streak of grabbing multiple medals.
This time, the 28-year-old has completed a six-medal haul at the 2023 Para Swimming World Series.
Participating in the S7 category, Mukundan won gold in four events — 50-metre breaststroke, 50-metre backstroke, 50-metre butterfly, and 100-metre breaststroke.
He also secured silvers in 400-metre freestyle and 50-metre butterfly, the latter being a multi-class final where he competed with participants from other categories.
The sixth edition of the competition was held in the German capital Berlin from 11 to 14 May.
With these in his kitty, the Bengaluru para-swimmer has now won 98 international medals to his credit, and is just shy of a century of medals.
With 420 athletes participating from 51 different nations, the Berlin Para-swimming World Series recorded the biggest field ever.
Niranjan Mukundan (left) after the medal ceremony at the Berlin Para-swimming World Series. (Supplied)
While Mukundan won six medals, he was happy about getting closer to his second Paralympics — 2024 Summer Paralympic games scheduled in the French capital Paris.
“It felt great to be competing at the World Series with 51 countries taking part. I finally clocked the B qualification time for Paris Paralympic Games in the 50m butterfly event,” an elated Mukundan told South First over the phone from the Berlin airport.
While the “A” standard qualification assures a direct qualification for the Olympics, the “B” standard qualification puts a swimmer in the fray.
Such an athlete would only be allowed to participate in the Olympics if the total quota was not met at the end of the qualification period.
Niranjan Mukundan medals from the Berlin Para-swimming World Series. (Supplied)
On his way to India now, Mukundan would soon be heading back to his training base in Germany after a couple of weeks.
He said he was now eyeing the “A” qualification mark for the Paris Paralympics in the upcoming championships.
The swimmer is now gearing up for the 2023 World Para Swimming championship to be held in Manchester, England from 31 July to 6 August.
He is the first Indian to qualify in four different events for the championship — 50-metre butterfly, 200-metre individual medley, 400-metre freestyle, and 50-metre freestyle.
After World Championships, Mukundan said, his next major target would be at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where he has qualified to compete in five events.
“I am hoping to cross the 100 mark during the Asian games,” said Mukundan.
Mukundan was born with spina bifida — a birth defect in which an area of the spinal column doesn’t form properly — and clubfoot. He has undergone 19 surgeries so far.
However, this does not discourage his dream of winning a Paralympic medal for India.
Niranjan Mukundan broke the 16-year-old Asian record at the 2023 Norwegian Swimming Championships. (Twitter)
As recently as in April, Mukundan broke a 16-year-old Asian record for finishing time to win the 1,500-metre freestyle gold.
He broke the record in the S7 category at the 2023 Norwegian Swimming Championships, aka the Bergen Swim Festival.
With a time of 21.47.18s, he broke the previous record (22:01:22s) of Japan’s Jumpei Kimura, which he had set in 2007.
Mukundan did not just break the record but also won six golds and one bronze. He was crowned the best male para-swimmer.
In March this year, he had also set a new national record in Men’s 200m Individual Medley (SM7) category at the Para Swimming World Series in Sheffield, Great Britain.
He clocked an impressive 2:56.03s while competing in the fourth heat.
