Mandar Desurkar from Belagavi, Karnataka is selected in Indian Team to participate in FINA World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships 2018 to be held at Eliat, Israel from 4th to 8th September 2018. Total 11 members including of 5 Boys and 6 Girls are selected in the team from all over India the Team is leaving to Israel on 3rd September from Bengaluru International Airport.
He is selected based on the performance which he had shown at 1st National Junior Open Water Swimming Championship held on 30th and 31st December 2017 at Malpe, Udupi where he bagged Gold Medal. He also won the Gold and Bronze Medals at All India Open Water Swimming Competition held at Gujarat and Goa.
Mandar is very sincere and hardworking and joined the swimming at the early age of 5. Success was not easy for him he failed so many times in his early stage of swimming but he has not lost his hopes he kept on trying and achieved his First National Gold Medal at National Open Water Swimming Championship, Udupi in the year 2017. He also won Gold and Bronze medals at the Open Water Swimming Competition held at Gujarat and Goa. From the last 3 years, Mandar is practicing rigorously for open water swimming in the two sessions covering a distance of 10 to 12 km per day.Â
He is a student of KLE’s International School studying in 9th Standard and swimming member of Swimmers Club Belgaum and Aquarius Swim Club Belgaum practicing at Suvarna JNMC Olympic Size Swimming Pool, Belagavi and getting good support from KLE Society and KLE International School. He is practicing under the watchful eyes of swim coaches Umesh Kalghatgi, Prasad Tendolkar and Guruprasad Tangankar and others and highly been encouraged by Dr Shri Prabhakar Koreji, Dr. Shri Vivek Saoji(Vice Chancellor KLE University), Dr. Priti Kore – Doddwad, Shri Nilkanthrao Jagdale, Smt. Manek Kapadia, Smt. Lata Kittur, Sudhir Kusane and others.