Olympic swimmer Virdhawal Khade resigns from government job to focus on coaching

Olympic swimmer Virdhawal Khade took to social media on Thursday, February 8, to announce his resignation from his government job in Maharashtra, revealing his intention to dedicate himself fully to coaching the next generation of swimmers.

Virdhawal Khade wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

“Excited to share that I have handed in my resignation to the Government of Maharashtra and left my position as a Tahasildar.”

Virdhawal emphasized his primary goal is to secure an Olympic medal for India in swimming, stating:

“My next journey as a swim coach has only one goal- To give my best to get India an Olympic medal.”

Furthermore, he also expressed his hope of accomplishing as a coach what he couldn’t achieve as a swimmer.

“I was blessed with great officers in the GoM since 2012 which helped me maintain some sort of swimming routine. My next role will need my commitment 100% . What I could not achieve as a swimmer, I hope to achieve as a coach in the future," he wrote.

In 2020, Virdhawal revealed his aspirations of becoming a coach. In an Instagram live session, the swimmer shared his vision of mentoring and enhancing the skills of the next generation of swimmers.

“Definitely will get into coaching. I’m already doing my certifications,” said the-then Indian swimmer.

“I’ve done the American Swimming Coaches certification and I have done the Australian Swimming Coaches certification with Hakim (Hakimuddin Habibulla who represented India at Sydney 2000). I think I see myself being a coach in the next couple of years.”

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Virdhawal and his wife Rujuta won a gold each in October 2023

Power couple Virdhawal Khade and Rujuta Khade created a buzz in the National Games in October 2023. Virdhawal clocked 22.82s to go past Karnataka’s Srihari Nataraj for a gold medal in the men’s 50m freestyle event. Later in the day, Rujuta clinched another gold for her family with 26.42s to win the 50m women’s freestyle gold.

Virdhawal decided to retire from domestic competitions a day after winning the gold.