Media Release
Mumbai, Jul 8: Apeksha Fernandes who hails from Kinnigoli near Mangaluru, currently residing at IIT Bombay campus, represented Maharashtra in the 46th Junior National Aquatic Championship, 2019, held at Rajkot. She won a record of seven gold medals with three new national records to her name.
Apeksha won gold medals in all the five races she participated, gold in 50m breaststroke with a timing of 35.50, narrowly missing the record, gold in 100m breast stroke with a timing of 1.16.70, narrowly missing the record yet again. She won the gold for 200m butterfly stroke and registered a new national record with a time of 2.23.67, obliterating the current record which was held for over 11 years.
Apeksha also won gold in 200m individual medley and set a national record with a time of 2.27.09, obliterating the existing record held for over seven years. She was the first swimmer to break the record in the morning session and in the evening finals she broke her own record by one second which she had set in the morning. She continued her winning streak by bagging gold in 400m individual medley, setting a new national record with a timing of 5.13.80 and obliterating the existing record held for nine years.
Apeksha was part of the relay team for Maharashtra that won gold in both the freestyle and medley relay, the team went on to create a new national record in free style relay.
In addition to her individual victory with five gold medals, Apeksha, won two gold medals in relay as well, her stellar performance and all round swimming brilliance rightfully earned her the title of the best national swimmer in the girls group 2, for girls under the age of 14 years. She was felicitated with the best swimmer trophy by the chief minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani.
Apeksha, is a grade nine student of Bombay Scottish School, Powai. She resides in the IIT campus, trains at the IIT pool and the forest club of Hiranandani Gardens pool under Coach Dr Mohan Reddy, one of the best swim coaches in the country. Apeksha started her journey at the age of 10, in group 4, where she first took her tentative steps and won her first bronze medal at the National Swim Meet, Pune, in the year, 2015.
Under the capable hands of Dr Reddy, she rose victorious and began her hard work for the gold in year 2018, she bagged five gold medals at the 45th National Aquatic Championship in Pune. She also won three gold medals and set three new records at the National School Games in Delhi. She added another two gold medals in the races she participated at the Khelo India Youth Games in Pune, 2018.
With her recent victory and national records set in Rajkot, she left a permanent mark in the swimming arena as she signs off from group 2.
Earlier in the month of June, at the Maharashtra state qualifying meet for nationals she bagged all the five gold medals in the above mentioned races and created new meet records. She credits her brilliance in performance to God for blessing her abundantly with the talent and giving her the strength, serenity and endurance to pursue her passion. She then expresses her gratitude to her Coach, Dr Mohan Reddy, with whom she shares a respectful bond, further she thanks her parents for their unconditional support, her principal Jane Kotian and the staff of BSS Powai for extending their support for easing the academic pressure. She stated that prayers and meditation are part of her daily routine.
Apeksha is the daughter of Dr B G Fernandes who is the head of the electrical engineering department at IIT Bombay and Shalet Fernandes, a practicing clinical psychologist at Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, her parents hail from Mangaluru. Apeksha has a brother Dayle, currently working in Hong Kong.