“I’ll represent India at the 2028 Olympics” - Swimmer Bhavya Sachdeva on her dreams after winning five medals at National Games 2025

Delhi’s swimmer Bhavya Sachdeva delivered an outstanding performance at the National Games 2025 in Uttarakhand, securing medals in all five individual events she participated in. Competing at the Manaskhand Tarantal, IGISC, the 19-year-old swimmer bagged two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal, proving her dominance in long-distance freestyle events.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Bhavya expressed her excitement about her performance, highlighting the significance of achieving personal best times in some of her races.

She said, “It really feels amazing, not just winning gold medals but also achieving my best times in a few events, which is really motivating. My hard work paid off.”

Bhavya participated in five individual events. She won silver in the 200m freestyle with a time of 2:08.68, finishing behind 14-year-old Karnataka swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu, who clocked 2:03.24, setting a meet record. She secured bronze in the 400m medley with 5:18.18.

Another silver came in the 400m freestyle with 4:30.03, where she again finished behind Dhinidhi, who broke Bhavya’s meet record of 4:27.93 from the Goa 2023 National Games with a new meet record of 4:24.60.

Her two gold medals came in the 1500m freestyle (17:42.81) and the 800m freestyle (9:17.60). Bhavya holds the National Games meet records in both events, having clocked 17:40.82 in the 1500m and 9:08.60 in the 800m at the Goa 2023 National Games.

Reflecting on her best moment at the competition, Bhavya said,

“I participated in five events, and getting a podium finish in all five was the best moment. Winning the 800m and 1500m freestyle with a huge margin really stood out for me.”

Bhavya, who specializes in endurance-heavy long-distance freestyle events, spoke about the intense training required to excel in them.

"There’s a saying, practice makes a person perfect. I train five hours a day, completing 60-70 km of swimming every week. This helps me achieve perfection in long-distance events."

With her success at the National Games 2025, Bhavya now has her eyes set on international competitions. She already has experience competing at the international level, having won a bronze medal at the Asian Age Group Championship in 2019. In 2022, she secured two bronze medals at the Thailand Open Nationals and two silver medals at the Malaysian Open Nationals.

“I am looking forward to the Asian Swimming Championships this year and the Asian Games 2026. These are my major goals, and after the Asian Games, I am sure I’ll be able to represent India at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”

She also praised the swimming facilities in Uttarakhand, which hosted the National Games this year, calling them a benchmark for Indian swimming infrastructure.

She said, “The facilities actually exceeded my expectations. This is the first heated outdoor pool I have seen in India. Even though the weather was freezing cold, the water temperature was maintained as per international standards. This facility is a blessing for the people of Uttarakhand. However, I would like to request the government to make provisions for the pool to be covered so that it can be used more optimally.”

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"Achieving such great times at this age is incredible" - Bhavya Sachdeva lauds Dhinidhi Desinghu's rise in Indian swimming

Karnataka’s Dhinidhi Desinghu was the standout performer at the National Games, winning a total of 11 medals, including nine golds, and taking home the Best Female Athlete award. Speaking about Dhinidhi’s incredible rise in Indian swimming, Bhavya acknowledged her as both a challenger and a source of motivation.

She said, “Achieving such great times at this age is incredible, and I am hopeful that she will continue this spree. From my past experience, I have seen a lot of young children actually burning out at an early age. It has been a challenge for me competing with her, but I am pretty sure she will be a motivation for young children who see and look up to her and will surely enter the game.”

Bhavya credited her success to her family, coach, and the Go Sports Foundation, acknowledging their role in helping her reach this level.

“Achieving success is not a single person’s job. It is a combined effort of everyone, including my coach, who has been tough enough to train me for this competition. My mother has been standing beside me so that I can succeed, sacrificing everything for me. My father has been a source of inspiration, as he was a swimmer himself. My dearest sister Saumya has always pushed me to achieve greater heights and has even shifted schools just for me so that I could train abroad. My grandparents have always trusted and motivated me. I would also like to give a special thanks to the Go Sports Foundation for their extra support and for always standing by me.”

When asked about the best moment of her career so far, Bhavya Sachdeva pointed to her Goa National Games 2023 performance, where she won three gold medals and set three National Games records.

“For me, the best moment in my career so far has been the Goa National Games 2023, where I won three golds and three national games records.”