Drowning in adversity, rising with the current: Suyash Jadhav’s awe-inspiring journey leading up to Paris Paralympics 2024 qualification
Suyash Jadhav oozes pragmatism while recounting the horrific period of his life when both his hands were amputated. This tragic loss befell him at the age of 11 due to a tragic mishap in his hometown of Solapur.
A national swimmer himself, Narayan Jadhav wanted his son to win a medal in the swimming discipline for his country. Therefore, he trained Suyash right from the age of three.
Even before the Solapur-born boy could represent his state Maharashtra at the competitive level, destiny played a cruel part in his life. What transpired at a cousin's wedding at a school was earth-shattering for the budding swimmer.
On the eve of the wedding, Suyash and his friends were balancing an iron rod on their hands, in the under-construction school building. This fun activity turned tragic when Suyash got electrocuted.
Consequently, he was admitted to hospital and despite spending six months there, his hands, below the elbow, had to be amputated.
Suyash Jadhav doesn't let loss of hands stop him from achieving his ambition
In 2006, the Jadhav family visited the famous Trimbakeshwar temple in the Nasik district of Maharashtra, just two years after the tragedy disturbed their dreams. An instinctive Suyash didn't have a second thought the moment he saw a pond near the temple.
A spirited dive followed and that was the first time he swam after the amputation of both his hands. According to the 29-year-old's own admission, he started swimming the same way he used to before. It was a moment of realization that his father's dreams could still be redeemed.
"And the way I used to swim in the beginning, I started swimming the same way. So my father's confidence increased. He thought that there could be a competition for differently-abled people, a Para-swimming competition. So, towards that, he found out the information. And he found out that there was a competition," Suyash Jadhav told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interaction.
"So, I participated in the first competition at the state level. That happened also in Nasik only. So I participated. Then I won the medals and qualified for the nationals. I performed very well in the nationals too. So in that way, my swimming journey has started," he further narrated about the growth of his para-swimming career.
A life-changing lesson for Suyash
While studying in the eighth grade in school, Suyash scored 36 out of 40 in one of the subjects. However, the discontented boy sought extra marks from his teacher Kshirsagar owing to his disability. But the teacher refused to entertain the request and then followed words of wisdom.
Even though the boy felt awkward after hearing those words he now sees them as a mantra for his success.
"Actually, what happened was he said that if you are differently-abled, and you don't have hands, it doesn't mean that whatever marks you want, we will give them. If you don't have hands, we can't show sympathy and give you marks.
"It was a bit weird at that time, but if we think about it now, that is the right thing. If any person shows sympathy to us, obviously it won't be good for us. Because we don't want sympathy. Give us what we deserve. We don't need sympathy," a buoyant Suyash said.
The extra marks weren't accorded that day but he did get something extra - a lesson for life. A reformed Suyash Jadhav was set to thrive in the world of para-swimming after this heart-touching incident.
Mission Para-swimming gets underway
From 9th to 12th grade, Suyash trained under Umesh Godse in Akluj, a town in Solapur district. Godse gave him the confidence that his speed will take him far - to national and international events.
To pursue further studies and also keep in touch with swimming, he joined Ferguson College in Pune. After joining Deccan Gymkhana, there was a sense of personal improvement in his laps.
It gave him the clarity to keep his academics as a second option, just for the purpose of qualification, and the foundation was laid to build a career in sports.
Suyash learned the basics from his father during his childhood, but the challenge here was to swim without hands, which are the most integral part of the body's movement in water.
In this scenario, the workload shifts to both legs in order to push the body forward. In the longer run, the lower body, comprising quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and glutes, takes the toll to complete the lap.
The training was a challenge on its own, but looking after the expenses was something else, especially taking part in competitions abroad. A familiar story of every Indian athlete until they get in the spotlight.
Suyash's father sold one acre of their farmland in Karmala Taluka of Solapur so that his son could participate in the 2015 IWAS World Games held in Sochi, Russia. The sacrifice yielded results as he returned with a silver and a bronze medal.
Shot to prominence
Developments came into being when the Maharashtra para-swimmer became the first from the country to qualify for the 2016 Rio Paralympics with an 'A' qualifying mark. He was the lone participant from India in swimming in the 15th edition of the Summer Paralympics.
He featured in the men's 50m freestyle, men's 50m butterfly, and men's 200m Individual Medley - SM7, albeit he didn't progress in any of these events. It was a stepping stone for a monumental career.
Suyash Jadhav endured a disappointing journey at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He was disqualified from the 100m breaststroke SB7 final for performing more than one permitted butterfly kick.
He missed the 200m Individual Medley SM7 event due to illness during the COVID-19 times. He failed to qualify in his pet event - 50m butterfly S7 - finishing fifth with a timing of 32.36s.
"I had never done that event (100m breaststroke). So when we started, I was 100m. When I finished the first 50m, I touched the wall and took a turn, at that time, what happens in breaststroke, that is a very technical thing, when we turn, only one fly kick is allowed. So, by mistake, I got two kicks. Because of that, I was disqualified," the 29-year-old recollected.
Two years after the fiasco, Suyash Jadhav bounced back to bag a bronze medal in the men's 50m butterfly S7 event at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou. It was India's solitary medal from the 14-member swimming contingent that participated in the fourth edition of the continental event. He also secured a quota for the Paris Paralympics next year.
Suyash didn't fare as well as his tremendous show at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, where he clinched one gold and two bronze medals. The ace Indian para-swimmer attributed the shift in performance to an increase in the level of the competition.
"It depends on who was your competition then and now. It doesn't mean that I won only one medal in this competition, so my performance in the Asian Para Games has decreased. Obviously, the medal is less, but it doesn't mean that your performance is bad. I still remember that I got a bronze medal even after doing a better performance (2023) than my performance at that time (2018)."
Suyash was precise in his dissection of his performance in both continental tournaments. It took him 32.71s to win the gold in 2018, but only a bettered timing of 32.22 helped him retain his gold in his main event.
Suyash Jadhav can't keep calm because Paralympics is just nine months away
Three days after his arrival in India from Hangzhou, Suyash Jadhav has already shifted his focus toward the elusive Paralympic medal, which is nine months away in the French capital. His entire sporting journey is based on a basic philosophy.
"Whatever you don't have, don't think about it. Look at your talent, work on it, you will get whatever you want. But hard work, smart work, consistency, concentration, confidence - all these things are key to your success."
Suyash Jadhav has been a Go Sports Foundation athlete since 2016 and is also aided by the Sports Ministry of India (part of their TOPS scheme) and the Sports Department of Maharashtra. Despite all the adversities he faced, the willpower has got him to great heights of success.