Meet this 80-year-old national level swimmer who once drowned in river, married at 13 and now dreams to…

Thi 80-year-old woman from Surat overcame her fear and reached onto to became a national level swimmer but she has not stopped dreaming.

Age is no bar and this senior citizen from Surat personifies this age old phrase. The story of the 80-year old swimmer is that of utmost resilience, determination and courage. She shows how dreams fueled by passion are the best stories to live in glory. Her hall of fame boasts of severals and hundreds of  medals from district to national level championship, and this all started with her courage to pursue her love for sports. However, the road has not always been simple for her.

After drowning, she overcame her water phobia and today she navigates the streams like a pro mermaid! Effortless and smooth.

All about 80-year-old swimmer from Gujarat

Bakulaben Patel told BBC that she was once afraid of the water and avoided learning to swim all her life. However, when she was 58 years old, she set out on a new journey, exploring different athletic endeavours. She began competing nationally at 59, has represented India at tournaments in 12 countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Australasia and has nine international medals and over 500 certificates to her name.

She decided to let go of her fears and take up swimming. “I asked myself ‘How long am I to keep running away from swimming?’ and that was when I made the stern decision to finally learn the skill,” Patel told BBC. Patel learnt to swim in the Tapi River, where she continues to go for her regular practice. Her daily routine involves waking up early, jogging to the river, and doing stretches at the bank before diving in.

She has also instructed over 400 swimmers in her life and hopes to continue and hopes to continue encouraging more people into the sport.

Taking on more challenging waters worldwide, Bakulaben Patel has won a plethora of medals and certificates. Patel told the outlet that the most difficult was her swim in the Canadian Sea, where she resiliently swam twice.

Not just swimming, Bakulaben Patel also debuted as a Bharatnatyam dancer at the age of 75. She made headlines for being one of the oldest persons to learn and perform the Arangetram. Patel has been felicitated as a dancer too.

Patel reflects an unstoppable aura that keeps her pushing to achieve more. She said that she hopes to conquer the English Channel one day and also aims to set a Guinness World Record in swimming.

“I was into sports and athletics from a young age, but I lost my parents early, was married off at thirteen and became a widow when my children were still young. I felt all alone,” she shares over the phone from her Surat home. When her children flew the nest several years later, she didn’t know what to do, she recalls, her voice laced with melancholy. “So I thought I would distract myself with a sport,” she spoke to Vogue,

That there is quiet disapproval from naysayers who’d rather see her wearing reading glasses than swimming goggles isn’t lost on Patel. “I’m unaffected by it,” she shrugs. Next on her wish list is a Rashtrapati Award from the prime minister. “It’s my biggest dream to make this nation proud,” she says. Little does she know, she already has.