Why Pratyasa Ray was Khelo India University Games 2023’s most successful athlete

Pratyasa Ray emerged triumphant at the recently concluded Khelo India University Games 2023 Ashtalakshmi, bagging four gold, one silver and one bronze to finish as the most successful female athlete of the prestigious Games.

Returning for her third edition of the Khelo India University Games, the 21-year-old swimmer, representing Utkal University from Odisha, attributed the success to her preparations ahead of the competition and lauded the Khelo India initiative as a platform that provides much-needed competition for athletes.

Clocking her personal best, in 400m freestyle (4:48:22) to win the gold, Pratyasa credited her success to the incredible support of Odisha JSW Swimming High-Performance Centre, where she trains under Olympian Sandeep Sejwal.

“I have been preparing rigorously. With Sandeep Sir, we use an approach that relies on a combination of volume and intensity in our training. Furthermore, the High-Performance Centre enables us to incorporate various other facets of our training, including nutrition, rehabilitation, analytics etc.  I am fortunate that I have access to a High-Performance Centre in my home city of Bhubaneswar”

Pratyasa further added, “At the High-Performance Centre, not only are we exposed to an elite level of training, but we also meet talented swimmers from around the country. Each of them has a unique approach to training, performance, and competing in important events. The exchange of ideas makes us better athletes.”

With six medals at the All-India University Games that sealed her berth at the Khelo India University Games 2023, Pratyasa Ray reiterated the value of consistent exposure to competition and the role of initiatives like Khelo India.

Pratyasa opined, “Competition is very important for an athlete. I treat every competition as an opportunity to grow and improve my skillset.  As a senior athlete it becomes harder to find platforms to compete.  Even a tournament like the National Games is not predictable, but there is always a Khelo India event coming up, so the Khelo India initiative provides a lot of opportunity and is essential for us.”

Speaking on her goals and ambitions for the future, Pratyasa said, “From childhood, my dream has always been to represent India at the Olympics and I am hoping to make that dream come true.”