Swimmer Supriya Mondal has qualified for the 2014 Youth Olympics by winning a gold medal in the 200m butterfly event at the Dubai International Aquatic Championships in Hamdan.
The 17-year-old swimmer clocked 2:03.93s, achieving the ‘A’ qualification mark and will compete in the same event in the Youth Olympics, to be held in Nanjing, China in August.
Mondal had earlier won silver in 100m butterfly with a timing of 56.45s and followed it up with a gold in 50m butterfly clocking 25.67s, achieving the ‘B’ qualification mark in both the events.
Mondal is a recipient of the GoSports Foundation’s PACE scholarships programme for the last three years and has relocated to Bangalore, training under Coach Nihar Ameen.
Hailing from Shahpur in West Bengal and coming from a family of modest means, Mondal has won several national level events.
“Qualifying for the Youth Olympics is a dream come true for me. I am thankful to my family, coach and others who have supported my dream. I hope to make them all proud at the Youth Olympics in August and beyond,” he said.
His coach Ameen said, “I am extremely proud of his achievement. Accomplishing this feat is a testament to his sincerity and hard work. In the next few months we will focus solely on the Youth Olympics and train towards performing exceptionally well at Nanjing in August.”
