Bhopal: MP's Satendra Lohiya bags two silver medals 21st National Para-swimming Championship

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The 34-year-old para-swimmer from Madhya Pradesh, Satendra Singh Lohiya, won two silver medals at the 21st National Para-swimming Championship being held in Udaipur on Saturday.

Lohiya secured second position both in 100-metre and 50-metre backstroke events, said the secretary of Paralympic Committee of India, Gursharan Singh.

He timed his 100-metre sprint in 1:43:19 minutes while his 50-metre sprint in 00:46:71 minutes, he added. The three-day event will conclude on Sunday.

Born in Bhind's Gata village, Lohiya started swimming in river Vaisali river after school.

International Paralympics swimmer Satyendra Singh Lohiya, who became the first Asian to cross English Channel in less than 12 hours, said severe diarrhoea that engulfed him within two weeks of his birth resulted in 60% permanent disability in both his legs.

He says his father sold his land to send him to Gwalior so that he could fulfil his dream of becoming a top-notch swimmer. He wanted him to prove everyone who discouraged him wrong, he added.

The villagers used to taunt the handicap but instead of getting disappointed, he decided that he would never let the disability stand in his way.

In 2007, when he came in contact with VK Dabas, he motivated Satendra for para-swimming, which gave a new direction to Satendra's life, he said.

He won bronze for the first time in 2009 at National Paralympic Swimming Championships in Calcutta. This victory motivated him so much that he won 24 gold medals one after the other in National Paralympics.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has congratulated him for his achievement. He said that Satendraís fighting spirit would inspire the youths of the nation. The three-day event witnessed over 400 para-swimmers from across the nation.