Inspiration
It will take a lot for the pressure to get to the youngest Olympian in Rio.
The pressure of playing for her country will be nothing for 13-year-old Olympian Gaurika Singh, as compared to what she went through in the aftermath of the earthquake in her native Nepal. She will compete in the 100 meters backstroke event at the age of 13 years and 255 days.
Playing under your country’s flag can be a daunting prospect for any athlete, but for 13-year-old Olympian Gaurika Singh, the pressure is nothing when compared to what she went through in the aftermath of the earthquake in her native Nepal.
Gaurika Singh will be the youngest to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics participating at the age of only 13 years and 255 days. Gaurika will be competing in the women’s 100 metres backstroke heats on Sunday.
“That’s quite cool, a bit unreal too,” said Singh, who has broken 7 national records.
“I wanted to go but wasn’t sure I’d be able to because I’d be too young. When I found out a month ago, it was a big shock.”
But this shock dwarfed in comparison to the shock she experienced when the youngster, who moved to England with her family when she was 2, and her mother and sister found themselves at the heart of the earthquake that struck Nepal when she returned to her home country in April last year to take part in the national championship.
“It was terrifying. We were on the fifth floor of a building (in the capital Kathmandu) that we couldn’t escape from. Fortunately, it was a new building so it did not collapse like others around,” the Barnet Copthall Club swimmer added.
The youngster was so affected by the destruction to her home and country that she chose to donate all winnings from the restaged championship to a charity set up by her father’s friend, who made her a goodwill ambassador.
Her proud father, Paras, said: “She’s special. It’s unbelievable that she’s the youngest Olympian in Rio and amazing how she copes with all the pressure.”