a neurological disorder known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, which impacts a person’s ability to socialise and communicate. However, her father Madan Rai, a naval officer, and Rachna Rai, a Chemistry teacher, were undeterred by their daughter’s condition. Therefore, keeping with Jiya’s liking for water, they decided to teach her swimming.
“We saw swimming as a form of therapy for her. However, as a six-year-old, it was a swimming competition in her school that brought out her real potential and took everyone by surprise. In every swimming event she took part in, she ended up winning gold medals and all these feats were in record time. That’s when we were advised to help her get a professional swimming coach, in order to further hone her talent. But it wasn’t as easy as we imagined,” her father told WION.
He added that the major turning point in Jiya’s life was National Open Water Sea Swimming Championship in 2019. The qualifying age for the event was 14, but the organisers allowed the barely 10-years-old Jiya to participate as a special entry after witnessing her exploits in the practice pool. She went on to win the gold medal in the event, with a national record time. In February last year, she became the youngest and the first special child with autism to swim the 36km distance between the Gateway of India in Mumbai and the Bandra-Worli Sealink, under 8 hours and 40 minutes.
Over the past three years, the young girl has won 24 gold medals and 1 silver medal in state and national swimming and open water sea swimming championships. “She is on a mission to become the first and youngest para swimmer of the world by swimming seven oceans,” her father revealed.
