Silvester D’Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur

Kundapur, Oct 9: Gopal Kharvi, a resident of Gundmi and renowned Guinness World Record holder, has been selected to represent Karnataka in the upcoming national-level swimming competition in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. His selection follows an impressive performance at the 25th State Masters Swimming Championship.

Kharvi secured a total of six medals at the state event, including gold in the 400m freestyle and 50m butterfly, and silver in the 200m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 4x50m freestyle relay, and 4x100m medley relay.

Kharvi, who serves as a swimming coach at the Ajjarkad Swimming Pool in Udupi, gained international recognition in 2013 when he set a Guinness World Record by swimming 3.71 km in the Arabian Sea with his hands and legs tied.

He has been honoured with several prestigious awards, including the "Best Sports Achiever Award" and the ‘Certificate of Excellence Award’ by universities in India and the United States. Additionally, Kharvi has received the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and the Karnataka Kreedaratna Award, along with the state-level Sandesha Award.

In recognition of his extraordinary achievements, the Karnataka government has included a lesson about his life in the 9th-grade Konkani textbook, marking a significant honour for his contribution to sports.