Doha, Qatar, February 7, 2024: At the age of 16, India’s Rithika Bangalore Mahesh has already competed in two World Aquatics Championships in women’s open water swimming.
And she plans to attend many more as she prepares for her future after completing her education.
“I am still at school. I am in the 12th grade right now,” she said, after the women’s 5km open water race at the Doha Old Port on Wednesday.
“I wish to continue swimming. I am thinking about becoming professional,” she adds.
When asked who would fund her full-time training and competition, Rithika replies: “The government have schemes for professional swimmers; they support good ones back in India.”
Until then, Rithika will continue to make inroads into the 5km race, and feels she made progress here in Doha compared to her world championships debut in Fukuoka, Japan last July.
“I have been training in open water swimming for the past two or three years now, so this is my second world championships. In Fukuoka my time was 1 hour and 12 minutes and here it was 1 hour 8 minutes; I have improved on the time so I guess I am happy with that. I am going to train better.”
Living in Bangalore, Rithika swims in the pool and also in the “back waters – the dam waters basically,” she says.
“Open water swimming is far more adventurous. I like the sport.”
Rithika was part of a nine-strong Indian open water swimming team here in Doha and competed only in the 5km, finishing in 54th place of 62 starters. The team’s support staff is her proud mother, Gayathri Mahesh.
Rithika admits that her goal in each race is to improve her time every time she swims. “My aim is to go ahead of yourself, push yourself,” she says.
Looking back on her Doha experience, Rithika described it as “amazing”.
“The staff are quite supportive here and they are quite caring, too. The venue is amazing – it’s clean, nice. I like it.”
The adventurous open water swimmer is already looking forward to her third world championships in Singapore next year – an early hat trick for the Indian youngster.
