Neha, a sportsperson who has won several medals at national competitions, including gold, silver, and bronze, has been involved in canoeing and kayaking for the past four years.

Neha Kumawat is an international canoeing and kayaking sportsperson in Udaipur. She is also a state-level player in chess.

Talking about her journey, Neha says that she started canoeing and kayaking in college. She also participated in gymnastics, skating, athletics, and swimming when she was at school. However, she took a break from sports during her higher secondary education as she was engaged in IIT coaching. She resumed her sports career in college.

Neha shares that canoeing and kayaking are water sports that are less famous in Rajasthan. It is mostly played in Udaipur. The main hub of India is Bhopal. It is also a popular sport in Kerala and other South Indian states. However, the majority of India is unaware that such a sport exists. Her swimming coach, Dilip Singh Chauhan, motivated her to join the sport of canoeing, as it had a lot of scope for female athletes.

When asked about her hardships, Neha says that she had to face many ups and downs in her sports career. There were various moments when she missed the medal and the selection. But she didn’t give up and continued to do hard work.

Sharing about her achievements, Neha says that she was recognized by various national awards. She also earned the Maharana Fateh Singh Award in her name. She represented India in the 2018 World Asian Games in Hungary and in 2020 at the Open International Caneing Competition. Her next goal is to secure a medal and represent India at the Thai Asian Games. Apart from this, she won seven medals in national-level competitions.

Neha shares that she was proactive about skating from a tender age. One of her personal records was skating on the road from Udaipur to Jaipur when she was just seven years old. Moreover, she had represented her school and won five medals at nationals in gymnastics when she was young. In addition to that, she later achieved state-level awards in chess, athletics, and swimming. The Abacus national merit prize was also awarded to her. She was also an NCC cadet with a C-level certificate.

Talking about leadership, Neha says that she is a leader by nature, as she was an average student in academics. She was always interested in sports, so she worked hard in this field.

Neha’s role model is Lisa Carrington of New Zealand, who is the current world champion in canoeing.

Neha's success mantra is to work hard, and eventually, you will achieve success. She believes that luck never works out in the long run, and only through hard work can one shape their future.

Advising aspirants in her field, Neha says that it is important to be a perfect swimmer. Balancing on the boat is the main part of canoeing. She says that proper practice of swimming and balancing is required to learn this sport. Physical fitness, along with mental fitness, is essential. A proper and balanced diet also plays an important role in the life of a sportsperson.

In her spare time, Neha likes to draw and paint. Her art was published in the Times of India as well.