Swimming coach Mahesh experienced a turning point in his life when his student made her name by swimming across the English Channel.

Mahesh is a swimming coach under the Rajasthan State Sports Council and is currently posted in Khel Gaon, Udaipur. Prior to this, he had his first job in a private club in Bangalore and then came to Udaipur in 1995. He shares that the swimming pool was the first sports facility to have been built in the Khel Gaon, which have now been extended to squash, lawn tennis, skating, judo boxing, basketball, cricket, kho kho, kabaddi and volleyball. Mahesh shares that the Khel Gaon takes students from five years of age and gives them specialized training so that they can compete at the state, national and international level.

Mahesh completed his studies at Mohanlal Sukhadia University and Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala. Since his school days, he always wanted to lead people and has been an active participant in sports, National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme.

Mahesh started as a basketball player at the district level and shifted to swimming after meeting Vikram Singh Chandela, a swimming coach who motivated him enough to opt for this sport. Since then Mahesh has been unstoppable and has swum both at the state and national level.

He shares his biggest achievement was when one of his students made it to the English Channel and is extremely proud of it. Mahesh also trained one of the handicapped swimmers who went ahead in his journey as a national level player.

Mahesh feels that since the advent of COVID, being physically active has gained momentum and urges the youth to participate in sports to increase one’s immunity and endurance power.

He urges parents not to put their kids in every sport, instead focus on one so that they can excel in that particular sport. Mahesh thinks that parents should also take into consideration their child’s interests and never compare them with other children. To wind up, he feels that sports and studies can be managed together and the future in sports is bright as well.