Para Swimming: Himanshu Nandal – The Athlete Who Sees Beyond Sight

Sport is truly a platform that enables individuals to punch above their weight despite the constraints and challenges thrown by nature and Himanshu Nandal is a fine example of that.

The 21-year-old para swimmer from Rohtak, who is blind since birth due to optic nerve failure, grew up in a family where sports were a part of everyday life.

The last three years has seen Himanshu make a mark at the global level.

In 2023, Himanshu was internationally classified in the S11 category for totally blind swimmers and went on to represent India at the 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China. The following year, he became the first Indian blind swimmer to achieve the Minimum Qualification Standard (MQS) for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, a milestone that placed him among India’s most promising para athletes. In 2025, he continued his rise on the global stage at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore, reaching two finals.

Himanshu's father was a national level hockey player, and his uncle narrowly missed a podium finish at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. However, despite being visually impaired, he was determined to show that limitations exist only in the mind.

At the age of four, he moved to Delhi and joined the National Association for the Blind (NAB), where he learned to read and write in Braille. Two years later, he joined a mainstream school Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar, and went on to earn a degree in Political Science from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, University of Delhi. For Himanshu, academics and sports were never separate as both became paths to self-belief.

The young lad first found his footing in Judo, winning national medals and learning what competition truly meant. But it was in the water that he found freedom.

In 2021, he began training in Para Swimming, a sport he says “made me feel equal, not different.” Within a year, he was rewriting history. At the 2022 National Championships in Udaipur, he struck gold twice and set a national record in the 100m Freestyle S11 category, finishing in one minute and seventeen seconds.

Later that year in Guwahati, he added three more gold medals and national records, establishing himself as India’s top blind swimmer.

Calm, grounded, and fiercely determined, Himanshu continues to chase excellence with every swim. His journey from learning Braille to breaking national records is a story of courage, discipline, and heart. Through his achievements, he hopes to inspire others to look beyond what is visible and believe in what is possible.

Talking about his future plans, Himanshu revealed that LA 2028 was his aim.

"My full focus is on the National Para Swimming Championship in Hyderabad. I want to clock my best timings there and set a strong winning tone for the 2025 season. My preparation is also aligned with the bigger goal the 2026 Asian Para Games. I am improving endurance, polishing technique, and training under international coaches to elevate my performance to the next level. In the long run, every stroke I take is aimed at reaching LA 2028 in peak form and bringing home a medal for India," he added.