All set to take part in swimming competitions at Rio is the 13-year-old Gaurika Singh – the youngest of the lot. The Nepalese swimmer will be taking part in the 100m backstroke event on Sunday. A student of a popular London school – Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls in Hertfordshire, England is a highly competitive one, and according to Gaurika such achievements are quite common. She mentions national tennis players, a girl playing in the Harrypotter film, Matilda who is one broadway. “There’s a Wimbledon player in the sixth form, doing Junior Wimbledon,” she shares.

She was born in Nepal, but shifted to England when she was two. “I started swimming while I was really young and I didn’t think my hobby would take me this far,” she says referring to her participation in the Rio Olympics. She is the youngest player and hence garnering lot of attention, but she says she is like everyone else, aspiring for the best. She was training at the Barnet Copthall Club in London. Her stint with professional sports happened when her coach asked her if she would try for the Nepalese ream.

A young girl who started swimming for fun went on to become a member of Nepalese Swimmers team, and eventually made her way to the world’s biggest sporting event.