Water Babe

12 golds after Karishma Karki still thinks there is space for improvement.

by MALIN GURUNG

FROM ISSUE # 164 (August 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
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FORUM.XNEPALI.COM

For eighteen year old Karishma Karki, the pool is her second home. National level swimmer and gold medallist, Karishma spends 2-3 hours in the water everyday.

She remembers the first time she set foot in the pool. A seven year old girl then, it wasn't without hesitation that she took a plunge at the pool in Dashrath Rangashala. She hasn't looked back since then. "After I knew the basics, I forced my dad to take me into the deeper section of the pool," she remembers. Her dad, coach and member of Nepal Swimming Association, Ishwor Karki was more than happy.

Karishma comes from a family of swimmers. "Among all my children, I knew she had it," says dad Ishwor. "I am very happy now because she has grown as a swimmer and also as a person."

A glance at her achievements and even the strongest of opponents is bound to gape in awe. When most athletes yearn for participation at the Olympics, even at the fringes of their career, Karishma had already done it, at the age of 16. Although she didn't win any medals at the Beijing Summer Olympics, all of that would change, at least on a national level. Karishma created history at the recent 5th National Games by winning gold medals at all the events she participated in. She took home 12 gold medals and an experience of a lifetime that would slowly change the course of her life.

"All of that feels like a dream now," reminisces Karishma. She recalls getting congratulatory phone calls and text messages even from strangers. Although she has gotten over the initial phase of the euphoria, she says that she still feels weird when someone recognises her and approaches her. "I am, at core, a very normal eighteen-year-old," she confesses. Karishma is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in architecture from Khwopa Engineering College. She hardly gets any free time from her studies and the regular training sessions. At weekends, when she is free, she prefers watching horror movies. An avid horror movie fan, Thai movie Shutter was the horror movie she last saw. A very moody person, in her own words, Karishma is also fond of interior designing.

When asked if her sporting career has any effects on her studies, she replies that, in fact, it does. Karishma is noticing the apparent falter in her grades and says that she has been reduced to an average student. Besides studies and time management, she feels the limiting infrastructure is also a hurdle. The pool at Dashrath Rangashala, which lacks any heating equipment, is opened only for the summers. "Even now my eyes are burning because of insufficient chlorine," says Karishma, fresh out of the water.

Karishma is now focused on improving her weak spots and is looking forward to winning gold in the international arena.