The story of Niranjan Mukundan, India’s first Paralympic swimmer with 100 international medals

Being born with spina bifida, undergoing 19 surgeries and still winning 100 international medals is no easy feat. It is truly something extraordinary. Niranjan Mukundan, the first Indian Paralympic swimmer to complete a hundred international medals, had to choose swimming because of his medical condition.

Niranjan was born with spina bifida, a condition in which an area of ​​the spinal cord does not form properly. Doctors suggested that he opt for horse riding or swimming to strengthen his muscles. He chose the latter option. And as they say, the rest is history.

Niranjan interacted with India TV and shared his journey, achievements and the challenges he had to overcome to get to where he is today. Below are excerpts from the interview.

Ask: You have been an inspiration to many. Can you tell us how your career began, how you got into swimming and what motivated you to continue in it professionally?

I was born with a condition called spina bifida, so I had to undergo almost 19 surgeries on my spine and leg since I was born. One of the doctors at the time suggested that I take up horse riding or swimming to strengthen my legs.

That’s how I got into the pool and I liked being in the water because I couldn’t walk until I was five. That’s how I got familiar with the pool and six months later I participated in a competition and won a silver medal there. From then on, I got into competitive sport at the state and national level. So this was in 2003, 2004 when I first got into the pool to swim for the state.

Ask: From there, your journey began and now it’s something huge. Your thoughts on it

Yes, indeed. I first played for India in 2013 and since then I have been a part of the Indian team. I was in the youth team and then moved up to the senior team. I was crowned World Junior Champion in 2015 and since then I have been playing consistently for India.

Ask: You were planning to compete in the 2024 Paralympics, but you were unable to do so. What do you think about that? Also, the next Paralympics will be held in four years. How will you keep yourself motivated for that?

In swimming, we have a few classifications. In one of the events, I was half a second away from the A classification. I had been training in France for the last 6 or 8 months and as the days went by, I developed a fever and a foot infection. That is quite common in people with spina bifida and people who have no feeling below the knee.

I developed a first-degree ulcer and because of that, I started having frequent fever and chills. I couldn’t get into the pool as often as I could and I missed a lot of qualifying races due to the fever. When I contacted my team in India and my doctors in India, we had to make the decision to prioritize my health first because the ulcer can also lead to other complications if not treated in time.

So I was asked to withdraw from the rest of the Paralympic Games qualifications and return home for further treatment. I have only just started swimming a few sessions in a week, but yes, I am confident of returning. And also to answer the next part of the question, Los Angeles is four years away. I want to take it day by day, one competition at a time, now that I know that these injuries will be frequent and are part and parcel of my medical condition because I have had this medical problem since I was born.

Ask: You underwent 19 surgeries, how challenging was it for you mentally?

My first surgery was when I was just nine months old and my last surgery was a couple of years ago. You see, when you’re young, you don’t know what’s going on. But then, as the years go by, when you’re in a professional sport and then there’s an injury or surgery and you know you’re going to be out of action for at least a minimum of 8 to 10 weeks, it affects you very differently physically and mentally because you’ve trained so hard for the competitions.

It is a very difficult period, but over the years I have realised that all these things are going to be an integral part of my life. I listen to what my team of doctors say and I have been under the care of some of the best medical specialists in India.

Ask: I also wanted to ask you how your parents have contributed to your journey to the success you have achieved so far.

My parents are my pillars. My parents and my family are my first supporters. They have given me everything I need and have always been there for me in my good and bad times. So, if it weren’t for them, I don’t think I would have come this far.

Ask: What are your plans for future events? What competitions would you like to participate in after completing your rehabilitation?

Basically, it will be the national championships which will be held sometime in late October in Goa. That will be my event this year apart from rehabilitation and then I might travel to Europe which is my training base apart from India. I trained in Germany for two years and now I have just shifted my training base to France and I also used to represent a club in Germany.

I also represent the club professionally there, so I might go back there for the winter season to represent the club and next year we have the World Championships again in Singapore. So I hope to get back in good shape before that and then start with my qualifications and all that next year.