(February 11, 2023) It wasn’t long ago that the world was discussing the existence of nepotism in the entertainment industry. While several star kids follow in their parent’s footsteps, there is one who is working hard to make his own name in the field of sports. Actor R Madhavan’s son, Vedaant is a national record-holding swimmer, who recently won the gold medal in 800m freestyle at the Danish Open, held in Copenhagen. The young swimmer also won a gold medal in men’s 200m Freestyle at the Khelo India, being organised as part of the G20 Summit, reaching the mark in mere 1:55.39 minutes.
“I was always into athletics,” the swimmer shared during one of his recent interviews, adding, “I put in a lot of time and effort into swimming and am really happy to win these medals. My dad was literally in tears after I won the medal. Both mom and dad were so happy and proud of me. The sacrifices they made to help me reach this level finally paid off.” Global Indian takes a look at the champ’s glorious journey and the tournament lined ahead for him.
A born athlete
While Vedaant would often visit his father on the sets of his movies, and was quite fascinated with the profession, he never could see himself in front of the camera. Always a part of the school’s sports team, he discovered his love for swimming only five years back, while at a school competition. “I was swimming with my school team, and a few of the members were national-level swimmers. I was quite taken by them and would swim with them regularly. One day, we had a competition against other schools and the coach decided to put me in that relay. And that moment I realised I can keep up with them, even though they were three years older than me. I was having a lot of fun, and started taking part in various swimming events and also joined a competitive club,” the swimmer shared.
It was the 2021 Jr Aquatic Nationals in Bengaluru where the swimmer first created a splash at the competitive level by bringing home a staggering seven medals for Maharashtra, including four silver medals in 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle, 4 x 100m freestyle relay, and 4 x 200m freestyle relay events. “My parents were quite supportive of my taking part in these events,” Vedaant shared, “Throughout the process, my parents didn’t question any of my decisions. Even though my father travels a lot because of his profession, he calls me from where he is and motivates me ahead of any heat. However, I don’t really like to have the title of R. Madhavan’s son. I want to create my own identity and my competitors respect me for who I am”
Though his father is his hero, the youngster takes inspiration from the swimming legend, Michael Phelps. The swimmer said, “He is the best swimmer of all time, and watching him inspires me a lot. I also attended a conference along with 10 other kids where Phelps was the key speaker. I asked him about his training schedule and he informed me that he trains as much as I do – about 6 km every session in the morning. But I must add that I look up to a lot of Indian swimmers as well, such as Sajan Prakash, Kushagra Rawat, and Srihari Nataraj.”
Long journey ahead
Although he is just back from a huge win, the young swimmer is training hard for some very important tournament lying ahead. “There are some competitions. I will have to sit down with my coach and decide which ones I have to go to and which ones I don’t have to go to. At this point, my main goal will be the junior nationals which are in July 2023. Based on my performance at the Jr Nationals, I will be selected for the FINA junior world games and world school games.”
Vedaant and his parents, with Odisha’s CM Naveen Patnaik
However, the swimmer’s main goal, like several other sportspersons, remains the beautiful Olympic medal. “It’s everyone’s main target,” the youngster quipped when asked about the Olympics, adding, “In the junior nationals, depending on my performance, I will be selected for the Asian Games, and that can eventually help me represent the country in the Olympics. Last year, when Sajan and Srihari made the Olympic ‘A’ cut, it gave young swimmers like me a lot of hope. Right now, I am preparing to participate in the 2024 Olympics, and win some medals for the country.”
The youngster, however, is not only limiting himself to water sports. Exploring other career options, Vedaant is taking several additional courses at school. “Right now I am focused on swimming. However, I am a part of the acting programme in school, and also taking a few business classes. I have also been a part of several environmental science projects in my school,” shares the swimmer.
