Gaya: Young swimming sensation Maanvi Verma played a key role in maintaining Karnataka’s dominance in the swimming competitions at the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 in Bihar. She secured three gold and one silver medal at the Bipard Swimming Pool, making a significant contribution to Karnataka’s overall tally of 33 medals, including 17 golds.
This was Maanvi’s third Khelo India Youth Games, and the 16-year-old Khelo India athlete has consistently improved her performance each year. In 2022, she won a bronze medal in the 200m individual medley. In 2023, she earned silver medals in the 200m medley and 100m breaststroke. This year, she won gold medals in the 100m breaststroke, 50m butterfly, and 200m medley, along with a silver in the 50m breaststroke.
When asked about her consistent improvement, Maanvi said, “Honestly, the answer is just training, training, and more training. The more you train, the better you get.”
Maanvi trains at the Dolphin Aquatics Academy located at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, which is recognised by Khelo India. She had also delivered an impressive performance at the 2023 National Games in Goa, where she set meet records in the 200m medley and 50m butterfly. She has represented India at the World Junior Championships as well, where her performance sparked hopes for the future.
Although her current focus is on swimming, Maanvi is also committed to her studies. “Right now, I want to pursue a career in swimming, but I also want to continue my education. At the moment, my priority is swimming,” she said.
Her family has played a major role in her journey. The Verma family moved from Delhi to Bengaluru ten years ago. Her mother, Rama Verma, has been instrumental in shaping her career. “I never allowed my children to watch TV. I wanted them to take up a sport. Maanvi played many sports in her childhood and was good at all of them. She had a competitive spirit. Eventually, she chose swimming,” Rama said.
Maanvi is fully aware of her parents’ contribution. “When you’re a child, you don’t know much. You are entirely dependent on your parents. They think in your best interest. My parents are exactly like that. They’ve always encouraged me,” she said.
Despite narrowly missing out on a fourth gold in the 50m breaststroke, Maanvi remained composed. “Everyone dreams of winning gold in every event. But I don’t overthink. I just try to swim each race well. If I win, that’s great; and if I don’t, that’s fine too,” she said.
Through these words, Maanvi showed a deep commitment to the process over the outcome—an approach that could take her far in the future.
