Overcoming hydrophobia, this mom of two took the plunge only to emerge as champ

Her husband says, “She completes any task with dedication and discipline. She accompanies our children when they go for their swimming lessons.
Overcoming hydrophobia, this mom of two took the plunge only to emerge as champ

BELAGAVI: You are never too old to learn swimming. A 41-year-old mom has proved this. Her stellar performances in swimming in the last three years go to show that there is no age bar for women if they are determined to scale new heights in their lives. Jyoti Kori never attempted swimming — fear was what kept her out of water. She suffered from aquaphobia.

Though terrified of the water, she finally took the plunge in 2017, when she was in her late thirties. She was excited and nervous, but was determined to learn to swim. For many adults who have yet to learn to swim, feelings of embarrassment or uncertainty often get in the way of signing up for lessons.

But Jyoti overcame her fear and wanted to prove herself. She always wanted to do something different since her college days and create a niche for herself.  She says she actually started swimming as a stress-buster to overcome the boredom at her workplace but eventually became a professional swimmer. “As a laboratory technologist in the Health Department in Belagavi, I have gone through many ups and downs over the last two decades at the workplace and was not enjoying the work at all. When I was desperate to find some way out to make my life meaningful, I wanted to try out swimming three years ago despite my fear of water. With the support of my husband Shivakumar Kori, a businessman, I entered the water in late 2017 and emerged as a professional swimmer in the span of merely a few months,’’ Jyoti says while recalling how she first started swimming.

In less than three years since then, Jyoti has not only bagged many medals at the state and national level swimming events but is also qualified to take part in the World Masters Games scheduled at Kansai, Japan, in May 2021 and Pan Pacific Games at Gold Coast, Australia to be held in November 6-15 in 2020. “I would take both my sons (who are 16 and 4 years old) for swimming in 2017 to JNMC swimming pool in Belagavi but never seriously thought initially of trying it out myself. On the insistence of my husband, I decided to go in for it and started loving the sport gradually. Within a few months, I began racing with professional swimmers at the JNMC pond,’’ she recalls.

Her husband says, “She completes any task with dedication and discipline. She accompanies our children when they go for their swimming lessons. I told her it was an opportunity for her too to learn swimming. In fact, I insisted. And I knew that she would do her best if she started swimming. She did enter the pond with trepidation, but overcame it by practice.”  

Jyoti’s swimming coach Sudhir Joshilkar who has been training her from the start, says, “Jyoti has been able to swim 3km at a stretch merely one year after she learnt swimming. It is tough for any swimmer to cross a 3-km distance at a stretch. But interestingly, Jyoti did it in her initial phase of swimming. If she continues to perform consistently, certainly she will excel in the upcoming international events in Australia and Japan.’’

A mother of two kids, she was extremely shy when she started swimming, says Joshilkar adding that she picked up briskly later and learnt the art of swimming in all styles (freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke). Z Suman Ingle, Jyoti’s close friend who appreciates her multi-tasking says, “Besides managing her family and job, she has been able to focus on professional swimming. Jyoti has succeeded in scaling newer heights in the sport due to her total commitment and will power.”  Crediting her family for her achievements, Jyoti says if her husband and children had not supported her in her decision to take up professional swimming, she would not have achieved so much at this age. “Both my sons not only promote me but always insist that I don’t return empty-handed while I set off for swimming competitions,’’ she says laughing.

On the occasion of Women’s Day, Jyoti urges women of any age, particularly those who are above 30 and 40 years, to work out their schedule properly and pursue their passion. “The women may have to battle several odds, but nothing can stop them if they decide to pursue their goals,” she says. In the last three years, she has won several gold, silver and bronze medals in the state and national level swimming for government employees. Recently, she won three gold medals at the state-level swimming event for government employees at Vadodara, Gujarat, and one gold and a silver at the state level swimming contest in Dharwad.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE  TO LEARN
Having succeeded in becoming a champion swimmer after age 40 against all the odds, Jyoti wants elderly women, whether those working or housewives, to take up challenges like her to make their lives interesting and beautiful. “ It’s easy to focus on your goal provided you learn to manage your work and family properly,” Jyoti says and adds that it’s never too late for women in their forties to start shaping their career.

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