hi INDiA - Face2Face | April 8, 2018

NEIL GOES THROUGH FIRE AND WATER TO MAKE WAVES AT OLYMPAID

FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016

By Dr. Nilesh D. Mehta Hi India Sports

Swimming sensation Neil Contractor grabbed headlines when he was just 15 in April 2013.

He bagged a bronze medal in the 4x50m free style medley at the International School Sport Federation Swim Cup in Israel. Following this initial splash, there has been no stopping this Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India) athlete when it comes to medals and titles in swimming.

With his eyes set on Rio de Janeiro for the upcoming Games of the XXXI Olympiad, Contractor has been devoting his time and effort to become the first Gujarat athlete to ever represent India in an Olympic sport.

“I am getting closer to my goals in swimming during my training in Chicago”, said Contractor, brimming with confidence. He follows a strict training routine with his training coach Kemal Lukovac.

Vigorous training

It was a series of interesting events that had to unfold before Contractor landed in the US for his vigorous training. In Ahmedabad, coach Lukovac was visiting

to study Gandhian philosophy at Gujarat Vidyapeeth. It was serendipity that Lukovac met Kamlesh Nanavaty-- Contractor’s coach in Ahmedabad.

No sooner than observing terrific swimming talent, he contacted his

colleague in Chicago--Kamil Kulczycki- -Head Coach and owner, Sharks Swimming Club in Chicago. Kulczycki flew to India and the rest was history.

Kulczycki moved to the US at the age of 8 from Poland. He started coaching in this sport and has been exposed to several talented swimmers.

While admiring Contractor’s swimming talent, he mentioned, “I think his potential is unlimited. He has not been exposed to the kind of swimming training that is offered to him in the US.”

Commenting on his talent, he reiterated, “His future is very bright not only for this Olympics but for the next one also”

Having settled for the last few weeks

in the Windy City, Contractor has been training with Kulczycki for seven hours daily. Coupled with some technical tips on the competitive aspect of swimming, he has been working out in the gym and also focusing on his diet.

Being a vegetarian, it can be sometimes difficult to acquire proper protein caloric intake. He gets to eat home-cooked food from his mother, Meghna Contractor, who also seemed laser-focused on her duties for her talented son.

“My coaches train me in my quest to become the first Olympian from Gujarat”, and, “my parents have been preparing me to be mentally strong”

Meghna was quick to point out that, “Government in Gujarat has been helpful to her son during his journey as an elite sports athlete. Neil was a very active child and had expressed no interest in music. He had interest in cycling, skating, cricket, table tennis, and swimming”, added Meghna.It was at Shreyas Foundation in Ahmedabad that at the tender age of 9, Contractor started swimming. He is Gujarat’s cynosure when it comes to this Olympic sport. In a country where cricket,

hockey, badminton and soccer tend to be the popular sport, Contractor’s parents found their son’s niche in swimming.

Coach’s guidance

In a local swimming competition, at Shreyas Foundation, Contractor (age 10) came in last at a local competition. That did not deter this young lad. With hard work and guidance from Kamlesh Nanavaty in Ahmedabad, he continued to grab local attention and quickly went on to State and National level competitions.

Nanavaty was full of praise for his student when he spoke with me over the phone from India. His comments were full of support and confidence for Neil.

Nanavaty, who is the secretary of Swimming Federation of India, while admiring Neil’s talent, mentioned, “I am 100% confident in Neil’s ability to make it to the Olympics. He has tremendous work ethics. I have trained him for the past ten years and he has constantly improved in his swimming talent”.

He further praised the involvement of his parents also with their commitment toward their child.

Contractor’s first marquee competition came in 2008--State Championship--where he won all the events. In the National competition in 2008, he grabbed headlines when he came 4th in 100 m breaststroke.

Winning spree

Accolades continued to pour in as he won more medals in 2009 in Jaipur and impressed swimming pundits when he won 2 Gold and 2 Silver medals in the Bangalore Nationals 2010.

“My coaches train me in my quest to become the first Olympian from Gujarat”, and, “my parents have been preparing me to be mentally strong”, said Contractor while acknowledging the important people in his sports career.

He was highly appreciative of the guidance from Nanavaty. His best moments, when away from the pool, are reserved for his black Labrador--Buddy.

Based on his current training schedule, Neil Contractor is aiming to achieve an “A” qualifying standard time that no Indian swimmer has ever achieved.

This would guarantee him a spot in the Indian team. Neil’s coach in India is extremely confident about his chances to qualify for the upcoming Olympics.