Nagoya, Oct 23 Indian para swimmer Himanshu Nandal completed a hat-trick of bronze medals at the ongoing Asian Para Games, adding another podium finish in the men’s 100m freestyle S11 here on Friday.
The 22-year-old, who was born blind due to an optic nerve failure, clocked one minute and 5.90seconds to finish behind Japan’s Uchu Tomita, who smashed the Games record with 58.22 seconds to win gold, and China’s Chuanzhen Sun (58.70 seconds), who took silver.
It was Nandal’s third bronze of the Games, adding to his podium finishes in the men’s 400m freestyle and 100m breaststroke S11 events.
His haul also put him alongside compatriot Ravi Budigina, who also won three medals at these Games, including two silver and a bronze.
Nandal had opened his medal account on Tuesday by clocking 5:10.91 to finish third in a four-swimmer field in the men’s 400m freestyle S11 event. He followed it up with another bronze in the S11 100m breaststroke before completing his hat-trick on Friday.
The S11 classification is for athletes with visual impairment, including those with very low visual acuity or no light perception.
Nandal’s journey to the Asian Para Games podium has been shaped by sport from an early age. He grew up in a sports-oriented family in Rohtak, with his father having played hockey at the national level.
At the age of four, he moved to Delhi and joined the National Association for the Blind, where he learned Braille.
He initially found his footing in judo and went on to win medals at the national level before taking up swimming in 2021.
The transition to swimming quickly opened a new avenue for the youngster. In 2024, he became the first Indian blind swimmer to achieve the Minimum Qualification Standard for the Paris Paralympics.
A political science graduate from University of Delhi’s Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Nandal continued to make progress in the pool and reached two finals at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore in 2025.
(PTI News)
