Family of teachers on a winning spree

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, March 7

He is a swimming coach, his wife a walkathon specialist and his nine-year-old daughter a swimming prodigy already! 40-year-old Regwinder Bhatia, along with his family, is a sporting sensation.

A lecturer at the Government Senior Secondary School, Mand, Ragwinder comes from a family where he and his siblings were encouraged to take up swimming as more than just a hobby. Their diet sustained and their father backed their passion. His nine-year-old daughter is taking his legacy ahead and is winning her way through championships.

At the 4th Punjab State Master Games Athletic Meet held at the Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, on March 5 and 6, the athlete couple has already made a mark.

Regwinder won the gold in the 110-m hurdle race and a bronze medal in the 200-m race in the 40 plus age group. On the other hand, his wife Sonam, who is also an ETT teacher at the Government Elementary School, Basti Peer, Daad, won the gold medal in the 5km walk and 800-metre race. Sonam also grabbed the silver medal in the long jump.

Regwinder, who has been a swimming coach in the Education Department for over a decade, said, “My grandfather was a wrestler in Pakistan. My own father, also a teacher by profession, was more into books. But when our family migrated to Garhshankar, my father had this seed of sports inside. As I grew, I was a very energetic kid. After consultation with his friends, he decided that I would be initiated in swimming to channel my energy. In 1990, I first took up the sport. He specially took me to the Doaba college. Since then there was no looking back.”

Regwinder has been a national champion in countless tourneys several times. Since college, he has competed in national championships winning many gold medals. He won a gold medal, two silver medals and a bronze medal in the championship hosted by the All-India Swimming Federation at Bangalore in November 2021. He’s also all set for the All India Athletic Championship to be held at Bangalore in May this year.

His daughter competed in the North Indian Games held at Chandigarh in 2017 and bagged a gold, a silver medal. In 2018, she won three gold medals in the U-11 district primary games.

Regwinder adds, “My brother and sister, who are both teachers, also took up swimming at my father’s insistence. Now watching me and my daughter, my wife, too, is into sports. She has started with walks and races, but is getting the hang of it.”

While he dreams of all-weather pools and better sporting facilities for students at government schools, Regwinder said many recent initiatives are changing the current scenario for sports in schools and rapid progress is taking place.

BQ: My grandfather was a wrestler in Pakistan. My own father, also a teacher by profession, was more into books. But when our family migrated to Garhshankar, my father had this seed of sports inside. As I grew, I was a very energetic kid. After consultation with his friends, he decided that I would be initiated in swimming to channel my energy. In 1990, I first took up the sport. Regwinder Bhatia, swimming coach