Following her sister’s footsteps was always going to be a tough task for Kudrat Thakhar. Her elder sister Rubaiyat had not only participated in the Chandigarh State Level Swimming Competition the previous year but had also managed to make a name for herself on the junior circuit.
So, in the presence of her elder sister who was also taking part in the above mentioned competition this year, Kudrat made her debut in the state level championship in the Under-8 category. At the end, a rich haul of a gold (breast-stroke), silver (backstroke) and bronze (freestyle), narrated the story the young swimmer had written during the competition.
“It was great to have my sister around. She also won a bronze in Under-10 backstroke event. It was my first gold medal,” shares the six-year-old.
Swimming was not Kudrat’s first choice until she accompanied her father to Goa. There she not only got to spent much of her time in the swimming pool but also developed a liking for the sport.
“I was around four-and-a-half at that time when I started learning swimming. My sister was obviously interested in the sport and I always looked up to her. But it was after spending time with my dad in Goa that I really started swimming,” recalls the Class I student of Strawberry Fields School.
As far as future is concerned, Kudrat is not sure when will she compete in the next tournament as she is learning few things at the moment. “She is good at playing guitar and moreover she is also learning skating and tennis. So, she will definitely be seen competing in all these three events in the near future,” shares her mother Shivani.