West Bengal Triumphs at 4th National Finswimming Championship

The 4th National Finswimming Championship 2024 concluded with remarkable performances by swimmers from across India. Held at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Swimming Pool Complex, New Delhi, the three-day event saw 1500 participants from 26 States and Union Territories competing for glory. Organized by the Underwater Sports Federation of India (USFI) in association with the Physical Education Foundation of India, this championship showcased India’s growing prowess in finswimming.

Key Highlights

Team Standings

• West Bengal: Crowned team champions with 151 medals (67 gold, 43 silver, 41 bronze).
• Karnataka: Runners-up with 50 medals (17 gold, 18 silver, 15 bronze).
• Uttarakhand: Third place with 21 medals (8 gold, 6 silver, 7 bronze).
• Haryana: Fourth place, also with 21 medals (6 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze), ranked lower due to fewer gold medals than Uttarakhand.

Top Performers

• Maharashtra finished fifth with 13 medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze).
• Manipur secured sixth place with 8 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze).
• Hosts Delhi finished seventh with 11 medals (3 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze).

Medal-Winning States

• A total of 19 state teams won medals during the championship.

Closing Ceremony

• The chief guest, Dronacharya awardee hockey coach AK Bansal, presented the trophies and medals to the winners.
• AK Bansal praised the enthusiasm and participation of finswimmers of all ages.

USFI Initiatives

• Tapan Panigrahi, Secretary of the USFI and a Dronacharya awardee in swimming, set a target to grow finswimming in India with a goal of one lakh finswimmers nationwide in the near future.