Vadodara: Seventeen-year-old Arush Lanjewar, a city-based swimmer who became the first Gujarati to qualify for the Deaflympics last year, has scripted another milestone by breaking a national record at the National Deaf Swimming Championship.Lanjewar clocked 1:05 seconds in the men’s 100m butterfly, bettering the previous national record of 1:07 seconds held by Atul Jaiswal. The feat makes him the fastest swimmer in the category in the country.“It’s a thrilling experience to be a national record holder. I trained hard for this tournament, and my dream of breaking the record has come true,” Lanjewar said.His coach, Vivek Singh Borliya, credited the achievement to Arush’s discipline and relentless training. “He practises for several hours every day. I was confident he would perform well and break the national record,” he said.Lanjewar’s journey with swimming began at a young age, when his mother, Kadambani, would take him to the pool during summer vacations. What started as a recreational activity gradually turned into a serious pursuit, and about four years ago, he stepped into competitive swimming.The initial phase, however, came with its own set of challenges. Being hearing-impaired, Arush had to remove his hearing aid while in the pool, which made it difficult to follow instructions during training. Despite this, he adapted quickly and continued to improve.He later joined the District Level Sports School (DLSS), an initiative of the Sports Authority of Gujarat, where he trained under Borliya’s guidance.His latest achievement adds to an impressive list of performances. In April 2025, Arush won two gold medals in the 50m and 100m butterfly events, along with two silver medals in the 200m individual medley and 200m freestyle at the National Deaf Swimming Championships.Earlier, he had clinched a silver medal in the 400-metre individual medley at the 2023 CBSE zonal competition in Bhopal. In 2024, he bagged bronze medals in the 800-metre freestyle and 200m individual medley at the CBSE zonals in Indore, and went on to secure two more bronze medals in the 50m freestyle and 200m individual medley at an SFI meet in Rajkot.
