Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 28 (ANI): India’s para swimmer Satyendra Singh Lohia who was honoured with Padma Shri has bagged various accolades throughout his career.
Lohia who hails from Gwalior is a Vikram Award winner in 2014 and started swimming in 2006. He has participated in 3 international competitions and won four medals. Along with this, he has featured in eight national competitions and won a whooping 28 medals.
Despite being disabled, with both of his legs not functioning, Lohia has achieved some remarkable feats in his career which includes completing a 33 km circuit in Bombay in 5 hours and 42 minutes.
In 2018, he crossed the 36-kilometre English Channel in London with his team and then went on to complete the Catalina Channel in the USA in 2019.
For his remarkable efforts, he was recognized with Tenzing Norgay Award by the President in 2020 and according to him, he is the first para-athlete to achieve it.
While speaking to ANI, he only had one message for other para-athletes, “I have only learned one thing you don’t have to underestimate yourself.”
Lohia is one of the seven sportspersons who are honoured with Padma Shri. India’s star tennis player and men’s doubles World No. 1 Rohan Bopanna, squash player Joshna Chinappa, former field hockey player Harbinder Singh, International Mallakhamb coach Uday Vishwanath Deshpande, para-badminton team’s head coach Gaurav Khanna and archery coach Purnima Mahato are other sportspersons who have been conferred with the Padma Shri. (ANI)
