Senior Nationals 2025 winner and record-breaker Vihitha Nayana of Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre fills out the SwimmingDrive Slambook — on unexpected gold medals, a jacket auctioned on WhatsApp at the Asian Champs camp, and what the government really owes Indian swimmers.
SwimmingDrive BureauJune 4, 20263 min read
SwimmingDrive Slambook
Vihitha Nayana
Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre • Freestyle & Backstroke
🐾 Started at Age 9🏈 Freestyle & Backstroke🏆 Senior Nationals 2025 Winner🎨 Nail Art & Drawing
2:44.05
Record Breaking PB
200m IM — 16yr record broken
🏆
Senior Nationals 2025
200m Backstroke Winner
🏅
The Dream
Olympics & All Indian Backstroke Bests
🏆
Swim Life
🏆 Best Swim Meet Memory
The 200m backstroke at the 2025 Senior Nationals — an unexpected win that was all the more wonderful for it. Sometimes the races you don’t see coming hit the hardest.
⏱ Record-Breaking PB
Broke the 16-year-old Group 4 200m IM national record with a time of 2:44.05. Sixteen years. That record had been waiting. She ended the wait.
🏊 Favourite Pool
Biju Pattnaik Aquatic Centre, Bhubaneswar
💪 Hardest Set
32 × 100m — alternate free @1:15, back @1:20. Zero mercy.
🎯 Future Goals
Break all Indian bests in the backstroke events. Every single one.
🌊 Secretly Wants to Try
Open Water 5K (from pool to ocean — big move)
🌟
Mind & Ritual
🌟 Role Model & Inspiration
Sajan Prakash 🇮🇳
Double Olympian • Arjuna Award 2025 • First Indian to qualify on merit
🇮🇳 Rio 2016 & Tokyo 2020🏆 Arjuna Award 2025NR 1:56.38 — 200m Fly
She calls him “Sajan anna” — the elder brother of Indian swimming. The one who showed it was possible.
🧠 Pre-Race Ritual
Visualise — the race runs in her head before she steps on the block
💕 Superstition
Kiss my mumma 😉
🎵 Race Day Soundtrack
Now or Never — tkandz & cxsper
“Swim without worrying about winning — focus on the race.”
— Sajan Prakash • Her Sajan anna. Said it. She lives it.
😂
Off the Blocks
😂 Camp Story of the Year — The Jacket Incident
At the Asian Championships camp, she forgot her jacket at the gym. Next thing she knew, it was up for auction on the WhatsApp group. Yes, her own jacket. Bidding started. She was powerless. 😭😂
🍔
Food Mood
Depends on mood
👁
Fav Gear
Arena Cobra Goggles
🎨
Off the Pool
Nail art, Drawing, Cooking
☀ Morning Practice
Love it — she’s a morning person ☀
🆕 Alter Ego
Ice Skater 🎠
🎯
The Real Talk
😱 Most Embarrassing Moment
Disqualified at the National Games in Uttarakhand for an early start. The start that ended before it began. 😭
What she wishes non-swimmers understood
“Scope in India isn’t that great and the support from the government is pathetic. Also, the gap in coaching knowledge between India and abroad is real.”
Said what others are thinking. Respect.
📚 What swimming taught her
Resilience and the urge to never give up.
🏆 Best advice for beginners
Love doing the sport and never ever treat it as a chore.
To a younger Vihitha
“We’ve made it to achieving half our goals and I’m really proud of what you’re doing. Never give up even when it’s hard and keep pushing through the sleepy mornings. Let’s keep crushing goals and records!”
🏊
Vihitha Nayana
Freestyle and backstroke specialist from Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre. Won the 200m backstroke at Senior Nationals 2025 and broke a 16-year-old Group 4 200m IM national record with 2:44.05. Targeting all Indian backstroke records — and the Olympics.
