Meet Nirmayee Ambetkar: The 17-year-old butterfly star chasing India's first Olympic swimming medal

Nirmayee Ambetkar is just 17-year-old and has been swimming for past 10 years with an aim of representing India at the LA 2028 Olympic games. India has not won a single individual medal in swimming at the Olympics ever and Nirmayee has eyes set on the podium to change that piece of history. She trains at Somaiya Sports Academy under Somaiya Vidyavihar University in Mumbai and recently broke a 13-year-old record at 69th National School Games in 200m butterfly event. WION recently had a conversation with the teen swimmer about her journey, training, goals and inspiration behind all the hard work she puts in.

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Tell us about your swimming journey?

I started swimming at the age of 5 and my parents enrolled me just to have safely learn the skill and gradually I developed a passion and have been consistently doing it for more than for 10 years. I have reached to international level with participation in Singapore National Age Group Championship earlier in March. There it was a wonderful exposure with the strong athletes.

Also in the month of June, I was in Ahmedabad for my Junior Nationals. It was very tough as swimming is something where you need to focus on a lot of techniques which makes it one of the hardest sports.

Last year, at the National School Games was one of my best milestones I have achieved because I broke the 13-year-old record with my personal best which was 2:24.

Before joining Somaiya Sports Academy, I trained under Arjuna awardee and Olympic swimming coach Mr. Virdhawal Khade. Every morning 5 to 7.30 am I practice and then again in evening as per my schedule, sometimes alternately we have gym or maybe again swimming at Somaiya Sports Academy.

Can you talk about the technical aspects of your specific event which is 200m butterfly?

My event is kind of one of the most difficult event in the whole swimming. It's 200 meters butterfly in which you have to do 4 laps continuous which is very tiring and your muscles get fatigued. And for that event, I have trained for almost five to six years continuously. 2.17 seconds is the India best time and my time is 2.24. I have to reduce my timing and that's the main goal.

During training, we have race-based training. we have pull, we have drills, and I have to work on that every single day to achieve my aim.

Also, fly is a stroke that you have to work on a lot of techniques because if you are just ruining up your techniques, you might get DQ also. Also those little technique things like working on your turns, your starts, keep practicing, doing short rest workouts, checking up heart rates so that's the main whole criteria of fly swimming.

When you went to Singapore, you met with a lot of athletes of your age group, what were the similarities or the gaps you found and how being at Somaiya Sports Academy with the facilities and the coaches you have, those gaps are being bridged?

I have been to many foreign countries in swimming for training and I have seen their structure and Somaiya has a similar structure. As in, as a swimmer we just don't swim, we also need gym and strength training.

When I was in France for training, we used to swim and they used to check our heart rate, they used to shoot our videos underwater to keep an eye on what kind of techniques are we doing. In gym training they check that what's the strength of your muscles and at what end are you lacking, or if you are not pulling properly and all that is here in Somaiya Sports Academy performance lab as well.

What is your goal or aspirations about yourself in the sport?

I'm aiming for the 2028 Olympics. The Chinese and Japanese girls of my age are doing way much better than us and if they can achieve such a good timing so we can do it. That's what my aim is - to represent India. India has not achieved an Olympic medal in swimming and I have to go there at least.