Jaipur, Dec 1 (PTI) What started as water therapy for a child battling health complications has blossomed into a medal-rich sporting career, with Pratyasa Ray emerging as one of India’s brightest swimmers at the Khelo India University Games here.
She has won three gold, one silver and a bronze at KIUG.
Across four editions of the event, she has amassed 18 medals — nine gold, seven silver and two bronze — in addition to strong results at national and international meets.
Yet, few know the struggles her parents endured in her early years, when her health was a constant source of worry.
By the time Pratyasa turned three, her parents had already been to numerous hospitals, seeking answers for their daughter’s recurring health issues and delayed physical development. It was then that her mother, Charushree, came across an article on water therapy and decided to try it.
“Pratyasa was born healthy. But she was given antibiotics to protect her from an infection when she was just 21 days old and those medicines reacted adversely. After that, her natural physical development stopped. Our concern grew. We wanted a healthy child, but everything was going against us,” Charushree told SAI Media.
“During that time, I read in Reader’s Digest that swimming can help children with several health issues. Tired of continuous hospital visits, I decided to take that risk.
“I started taking my three-year-old daughter to a swimming pool in Sambalpur. No admission was possible at that age, so I went into the water with her myself.
“The initial days were filled with tears and fear, but gradually, water turned her fear into play. Within two months, hospital visits reduced, and after three months, her health stabilized.” Six months after being introduced to water, Pratyasa indicated for the first time that she could enter the pool without a tube.
“It was as if water gave her relief. She started enjoying being in water and realised that it was keeping her away from hospitals. Over the next two to three years, she easily increased her swimming distance from 25 meters to 50 meters,” her mother recalled.
Pratyasha doesn’t remember these early days; everything she knows comes from her mother.
“A local coach in Sambalpur recognized my potential and suggested I take up competitive swimming,” she said.
At the age of eight, Pratyasha started training professionally at the Jharsa Khaitan Swimming Complex under Rangnidhi Seth.
“During this period, my father, Rajat Kumar Ray, who works in the Odisha government, was transferred to Bhubaneswar. I then began professional training in Kalinga. Balancing studies and sports, I am now pursuing a double postgraduate degree from Utkal University,” she said.
Pratyasa is now aiming to make it to the Indian team for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. PTI ATK BS BS
Category: Breaking News
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