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It was the culmination of years of the hard work that fetched the 23-year-old top honours when she clocked 53.53 seconds, ahead of athletes from Kerala and Madhya Pradesh in Srinagar's iconic Dal Lake.

Rasmita, who hails from a fishing community of Choudwar, Cuttack, was just nine years old when her father, a fisherman, met with a motor accident in 2011, leaving him critically injured, and their five-member family without livelihood. Four years later, in 2015, her mother met with a similar road accident, but, unlike Rasmita's father, she could not battle her injuries and passed away.

This left Rasmita shattered, and the family desolate.

It was not until a friend, who used to swim with Rasmita in the Mahanadi River, suggested that enrolling in the Sports Authority of India's National Centre of Excellence at Jagatpur, Odisha, and training in canoeing, kayaking, and rowing would provide her with a stipend that she took water sports seriously. "We had financial constraints and did not think twice before making the decision," Rasmita said. "I underwent a trial in canoeing and got selected."

Rasmita has never looked back ever since.

Having won a gold medal at a national event, Rasmita became eligible for recruitment in Odisha Police and has now been an officer since 2024, and takes care of a four-member family.

Recalling her struggles, Rasmita said, "We lived in a shack and my father was not able to earn much as a fisherman, but my career in water sports changed that. Now we live comfortably, and I am building a house for my family."

She credits Laishram Johanson Singh, the Odisha water sports team coach, for her success. "When I started participating in national-level events, I didn't have money to travel and diet. My coach used to pay money to me so that I could travel, have good food, and excel at these events," Rasmita said.

She is now preparing for the 2026 Asian Games set to be held in Japan from September 19, 2026, to October 4, 2026. "I want to represent India in an international event and would do my best to fulfill this dream," Rasmita said. "Recently, we practiced in a water body inhabited by crocodiles. I also practiced in the water body, which had a high water flow due to the outlet of the Hirakud Dam."

- IANS