Hashika Ramachandra is no stranger to setting records. At 16, her achievements in swimming serves as an inspiration to young athletes across India. Read her full story!
Hashika Ramachandra from Karnataka made a remarkable start at the 77th Senior National Aquatic Championship 2024 by setting a new national record in the Women’s 400m Freestyle. She clocked a time of 4:24.70 minutes, surpassing the previous record of 4:25.76 held by Jharkhand’s Richa Mishra. The 16-year-old broke a 13 year national record with his commendable performance in the swimming competition.
Telangana’s Vritti Agarwal came second, clocking 4:25.09, followed by Bhavya Sachdeva who clocked 4:30.94 finishing in third place.
🚨 16 yo, Hashika Ramachandra has broken National Record in Women’s 400m Freestyle on Day 1 of the 2024 Senior National Championships 🏊♀️
Well Done Hasika 👏 pic.twitter.com/RQyPJPmppJ
— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) September 11, 2024
Who is Hashika Ramachandra?
According to Deccan Herald, Hashika as been swimming since the age of four. In 2017, she faced significant challenges after losing her father, Ramachandra, to pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. Despite these hardships, her mother, Latha sold their property to support Hashika’s aspirations.
Well, Hashika is no stranger to setting records. She set a national mark in the women’s 200m medley at the 76th National Aquatic Championships in 2023. She claimed gold with a time of 2:21.15, comfortably surpassing the previous record of 2:23.62 set by Richa Mishra in 2010. She trains at Dolphin Aquatics in Bengluru under the guidance of Coach Madhukumar. After winning multiple medals in her debut at the 2022 National Games in Gujarat, she became the first female athlete from Karnataka in 23 years to win the ‘Best Female Athlete’ award, following Nisha Millet.
At just 16, Hashika’s achievements serve as an inspiration to young athletes across India. Her journey showcases that starting young and dedicated to a sport can lead to remarkable success. She continues to train rigorously, with hopes of representing India on an international level in the near future. Hashika Ramachandra is a name that will continue to make waves in the swimming world, and her story is a reminder of passion, dedication and the pursuit of excellence.