This national-level Paralympic swimmer dons many hats

Becoming a sportsperson seemed implausible for 43-year-old Geetha Kannan from Tambaram, as polio struck her at just six months old, leaving her paralysed from neck to toe. “I was surprised myself. How could a wheelchair-bound person even swim?” says Ms. Kannan, who is now a national-level Paralympic swimming medallist with gold and silver medals to her name.

At the State level, she has bagged seven gold medals in Paralympic swimming competitions, and her achievements do not stop there. She also won a bronze medal in shot put at a national-level Paralympic athletics competition, along with six silver and three bronze medals in State-level events. For Ms. Kannan, sports are all about passion. Professionally, she spent decades as an accountancy teacher.