Historic 62nd Sank Rock Ocean Swimathon 2026 Concludes in Grand Style Grand Celebration on the Waves of Mumbai

 

Historic 62nd Sank Rock Ocean Swimathon 2026 Concludes in Grand Style

Grand Celebration on the Waves of Mumbai

 

Mumbai : The historic 62nd Sank Rock Ocean Swimathon 2026, organised by the Maharashtra State Amateur Aquatic Association (MSAAA), concluded with great enthusiasm in Mumbai. The thrilling event took place in the deep waters of the Arabian Sea, near the iconic Gateway of India.

 

A total of 337 swimmers from 6 states, including Maharashtra, participated in this prestigious competition. Out of them, 330 swimmers successfully completed the race in record time, showcasing remarkable determination, speed and endurance. The event featured eight different categories including boys, girls, men, women and para swimmers, making it a true festival of open-water swimming.

 

The fastest swimmers of the competition were Chaitanya Shinde (Pune) and Diksha Yadav (Pune), who created a strong impression with their outstanding performances.

 

Fastest Swimmers of the Event – Golden Performance by Pune Stars

In the Men’s Open Category (5 km), Chaitanya Shinde from Pune won the gold medal with a timing of 39:15 minutes. Yug Ajay Bhai Sailor (Surat) secured silver in 40:03 minutes, while Varad Ghanshyam Kuvar (Nashik) won bronze in 40:49 minutes.

In the Women’s 16–25 Years Category (5 km), Diksha Yadav (Pune) clinched gold in 39:33 minutes. Purva Sandeep Gavade (Sindhudurg) secured silver in 41:16 minutes, and Sanjana Sunil Joshi (Nagpur) won bronze in 43:22 minutes.

 

Para Category (1 km) – Inspiring Performances

In the Women’s Para Category, Vibhuti Yuvraj Patil (Nashik) finished first in 12:53 minutes, followed by Mantra Parag Khule (Nagpur) in 26:03 minutes, and Gargi Tushar Kuvar (Nashik) in 28:54 minutes.

In the Men’s Para Category, Skand Rahul Ghadge (Belgaum) secured first place in 10:09 minutes. Adi Samit Gosar (Mumbai) came second in 10:36 minutes, while Rigved Dattatray Surve (Mumbai) finished third in 12:28 minutes.

 

26–45 Years Category (5 km) – Strong Competition

In the Women’s Category, Tuli Banerjee (Hooghly) won gold in 50:40 minutes. Mrunmayee Bhoir (Mumbai) secured silver in 1:15:04, and Dipali Jakkal (Solapur) won bronze in 1:24:07.

In the Men’s Category, Vivek Vaman Shisve (Thane) finished first in 47:06 minutes. Patel Jaimin Rajesh (Vadodara) secured second place in 52:07 minutes, and Gaurang Arvind Patel (Mumbai) finished third in 55:59 minutes.

 

46–55 Years Category (2 km) – Experience Shines

In the Women’s division, Aarti Daga won gold in 19:59 minutes. Sheetal Bhagwat (Mumbai) secured silver in 23:05 minutes, and Priti Chavan (Mumbai) won bronze in 37:01 minutes.

In the Men’s division, Sukhbinder Singh (Mumbai) secured first place in 17:11 minutes. Ajit Sadashiv Pawar (Mumbai) finished second in 17:42 minutes, and Vikas Jagannath Desai (Pune) claimed third position in 18:00 minutes.

 

Young Talent Shines Bright

In the 14–15 Years (5 km) Boys Category, Soham Snehal Khambekar (40:43), Tanay Tushar Lad (40:56) and Niranjan Sandeep Yadav (41:08) delivered impressive performances.

In the Girls Category, Prisha Verma (44:42), Harshada Vinay Chaudhary (45:17) and Atashree Bhosale (45:19) secured top positions.

In the 12–13 Years (2 km) Boys Category, Krish Vijay Kuthe (Raigad) finished first in 14:11 minutes, followed by Abeer Mandavkar (14:21) and Abhir Salaskar (14:32).

In the Girls Category, Ovi Siddhesh Chindarkar (14:38), Gitesha Pravin Bhandare (14:41) and Vidhi Nandakumar Bhor (15:38) secured leading positions.

In the 8–9 Years (1 km) Boys Category, Harshvardhan Ketan Karlekar (Belgaum) clocked 10:32 minutes, Siddh Muppineti (Thane) recorded 11:26 minutes, and Ishank Singh (Ranchi) finished in 11:28 minutes.

In the Girls Category, Durva Tushar Kuranakar secured first place in 10:20 minutes, followed by Abiya Tukaram Davar (Chandrapur) in 11:33 minutes, and Sanvi Ghatkar in 11:44 minutes.

 

Olympic Dreams and Determination

Speaking after her victory, Diksha Yadav said, “My goal is to win a medal for India at the international level and qualify for the 2036 Olympics.”

Chaitanya Shinde stated, “This is my fourth gold medal in sea swimming. Winning gold for the country is my ultimate dream.”

Skand Rahul Ghadge expressed his determination to move from the para category to the normal category in the future.

At the age of 70, Mahadev Bhagwan Taware said, “Consistency is the secret of fitness.”

Vikas Jagannath Desai (62 years) added, “Swimming is the best exercise for both young and old.”

 

The prize distribution ceremony was held at the Secretariat Gymkhana and the hall was fully packed. Awards were presented by Arvind Sawant, Uday Deshpande (Padma Shri awardee), Raju Bhausar (Arjuna Award winner), senior sports organiser Bal Wadvalikar, Dronacharya awardee Tapan Panigrahi, and sports organiser Bal Toraskar.

During the ceremony, Arvind Sawant appreciated the organisers and swimmers and assured full support in the future. The competition was conducted under the guidance of Association President Anand Mane and General Secretary Rajendra Palkar.

Started in 1940, the Sank Rock Ocean Swimathon has grown into one of Maharashtra’s most respected open-water swimming events. Under the leadership of Rajendra Palkar, the competition has reached new heights.

 

Successful Organisation and Team Effort

General Secretary Rajendra Palkar informed that the event was successfully organised with the valuable contribution of Sameer Shirsekar, Yusuf Chhotesara, Arun Jagtap, Kailas Akhade, Neelkanth Akhade, Dilip Koli, Santosh Patil, Ishika Palkar, Rupali Repale, Barkha Kedia, Chhaya Doyale, Kishor Vaidya, Ghanshyam Kuvar, Ajay Phatak, Kishor Palkar, Dr. Sachin Shinde, Anil Parasur, and Bhaskar Kulkarni.

 

The Sank Rock Ocean Swimathon is not just a competition, but a proud celebration of Maharashtra’s rich swimming tradition. Once again, the swimmers proved that while the sea may be vast, human determination is even stronger.