Hyderabad’s Syamala Goli is a swimspiration
Defying age barriers, 47-year-old Syamala Goli swam across the Palk Strait, becoming the first Telugu woman and the second woman in the world, to swim across the 30 km stretch between Sri Lanka and India
Hyderabad: The forties is one of the most difficult periods for several women. Dealing with changing hormones and growing children, all the while taking care of the house is no joke. But Syamala Goli set yet another example that if they want, age can be no bar for women.
Recently, on March 19, the 47-year-old swimmer swam across the Palk Strait, becoming the first Telugu woman and the second woman in the world, to swim across the 30 km stretch between Sri Lanka and India. She is the thirteenth swimmer in the world to have accomplished the challenging feat.
After having to close her animation business and battling health issues, Syamala began swimming in 2016. “I was going through hormonal changes and menopause. At the same time, my animation company, which had received good work from companies like Pogo, had to be shut down due to severe losses. I was very stressed at that time. To come out of my depression, I decided I should take up some physical activity,” she shares.
Syamala Goli
Incidentally, Syamala had a crippling fear of water until then. “I was a homemaker and entrepreneur till then. I didn’t play many sports even growing up. My family was encouraging, and with some help I finally stepped into the water.” There was no turning back from there. Slowly, Syamala started enjoying her swims and even started taking part in a few competitions.
Syamala represented Telangana in the 2020 FINA World Masters Championship in Gwangju, South Korea. In November 2020, she swam a 30 km stretch in the Great Ganges River in Patna and secured sixth position with the timing of 110 minutes. “In many competitions I am the oldest participant. In fact, the authorities even rejected my application for the swim in Ganga. It was only after I produced some medical reports showing that I was fit that they allowed me to take part. During several other events I compete with people who have been training since they were very young, whereas I am only five-years-old in the sport. It’s fascinating even for me that I have been able to achieve so much.”
The swimmer shares that while people rely on a special diet during their training, she opted for a healthy home-cooked meal. She says, “My diet included Ragi malt, eggs, many fresh vegetables and fruits. It was nothing fancy at all. That kept me healthy and charged.”
The Palk Strait feat was a result of rigorous training for two years. “I started training for Palk Strait in 2019. Senior IPS officer Rajeev Trivedi, who himself has crossed Palk Strait, Gilbert and the English Channel helped me a lot. My day started at 4 am. After a few hours of swimming and one hour of running, I would get back home. After finishing work there, I would start training again from 6 pm to 10 pm everyday.” Thanking MLC K Kavitha for helping her with all the formality and paperwork, Syamala shared that the politician encouraged her a lot.
However, the 13 hours and 43 minutes swim in the Palk Strait was not all smooth. “The water was very smooth on the Sri Lankan side. But as I crossed into the Indian waters, the waves were high and rough. That is why it took me a few extra hours to cover the distance.”
Discouraged by her friends in her initial days, Syamala shares that it’s necessary that every woman does something for herself. “When I first discussed participating in swimming competitions, my friends said I was too old to do that. But I kept practicing and never gave up on my dreams,” concludes Syamala.
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