A total of 117 sportsmen and women from India will be taking part in the Paris Olympic Games that are scheduled to begin from July 26. Among all the tall, strong and experienced players, there will be one tiny figure who at first glance may seem to have gotten there by mistake.
That little competitor will be Dhinidhi Desinghu, a 14-year-old swimming prodigy from Bengaluru. She will be India’s youngest participant at the Games and will take part in the 200-metre freestyle swimming competitions at the Paris La Defense arena where diving and water polo events will also be held.
How did this little girl qualify for the Olympic Games? Many experienced athletes find it difficult to meet the high qualifying standards of the Games. Only the best sportsmen of the world are able to compete.
How she got the chance
Dhinidhi’s participation was made possible because of a step taken by the Olympic Tripartite Commission. The OTC is made up of representatives of the International Olympic Committee, International sports federations of different games and national sports federations from different countries.
The OTC examines applications from extremely merited sportspersons from different sports who may not have met the qualifying standard but seem to be capable of doing so in the future. As a way to encourage such talented players, the OTC allows them to take part in the Games. That was how Dhinidhi’s name got selected under a student quota and she was given the dream opportunity to take part in the Paris Games.
Great honour
She is a 9th class student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, DRDO Bengaluru and is thrilled that she will be battling it out under the Indian flag. No doubt, it is a great honour for any schoolgirl to represent her country at such a tender age.
Dhinidhi’s idol is Katie Ledecky
She will have the chance to rub shoulders with her idol Katie Ledecky, a 27-year-old legendary swimmer from the USA who has so far bagged 7 Olympic gold medals and 21 World Championship gold medals in her career. The six-foot tall US woman will be taking part in Paris (which will be her fourth Olympic Games) and aiming to increase her gold medal tally further. Dhinidhi is eagerly waiting to meet her idol and perhaps get a few tips from her.
At present, even Dhinidhi’s parents are saying that their daughter has no chance to win medals. They are happy that their child has been given the opportunity to participate in the world’s greatest sports event.
Example is Nadia Comaneci
It should not be forgotten that it was a 14-year-old girl who stunned the world at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. That girl was Nadia Comaneci of Romania who created history by scoring a perfect 10 in six gymnastics competitions. It was a feat that had never been imagined before by any expert but Nadia achieved it and left everyone stupefied.
Chinese girl Quan Hongchan was also 14 years old when she won a gold medal in the 10-metre platform diving competitions during the 2020 Olympic Games. Marjorie Gestring of the USA was only 13 years old when she won a gold medal as a member of the US women’s diving team. There are several such cases of young teenagers returning home with medals.
So where the Olympics are concerned, age is just a number. Young and old both have a chance to stand on the victory podium. It is a matter of talent, determination, fighting spirit and stamina. Let us see if Dhinidhi can make India proud and wish her the best of luck.
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