Here’s the story from 2020. Rediscovering a story written during the height of the pandemic, capturing the surreal experience of life without pools.

We’ve all seen Kevin Costner’s box office bummer, Waterworld—a world submerged in endless water. For a swimmer, that’s paradise. But 2020 gave us the opposite story: a world with no water to swim in. With pools shut down, swimmers were forced to navigate a waterless world.
I started swimming in 2006 and spent 13 years as a professional swimmer. During that time, I built a name for myself in backstroke. From 2011 until I retired, I qualified for every School, Sub Junior, and Senior state meet, proudly representing Mumbai. I did make it to one School National, but my road to more was blocked by a swimmer who dominated every backstroke race I competed in—Neel Gunde from Pune.
When I first saw Neel, he didn’t look like much. Lean, average height—he could’ve been mistaken for a distance runner. But seasoned swimmers could see the telltale signs: the smooth rotation of his shoulders, the posture of a backstroker. Behind his rimless specs were calm, focused eyes. Chlorine had roughened his curly hair. A decade later, looking at him through a laptop screen, not much has changed—except his specs are now full-frame.
Neel’s journey began as the younger brother tagging along to the pool with his sister, Ruta. Like most kids, he mirrored his sibling, starting swimming at ten. But it took him a year to take it seriously. The turning point wasn’t his sister’s influence; it was the elite group she trained with. Watching them inspired him. “Getting into that batch became my goal, and I pushed myself to achieve it,” Neel recalls.
Once part of that group, his competitiveness kicked in. The desire to be the fastest fueled his rise to become one of the state’s best backstrokers.
But even the best weren’t prepared for 2020.
The pandemic was brutal for athletes. For swimmers, it was like being forced out of the water—a fish on land. On March 14, 2020, the government shut down pools indefinitely. Shortly after, lockdowns followed. Neel, home in Pune recovering from a shoulder injury, was caught off guard. His one-week break stretched into a year.
“I had the worst reaction,” Neel admits. “Swimming is something I’ve lived for and will live for the rest of my life. I couldn’t imagine it stopping.” He tried working out, but, as he put it, “you can’t replace the feel of water.”
What is this feel swimmers always talk about? It’s the intuitive comfort of mastering a counterintuitive activity. Humans are made for air. Swimmers adapt to water—its resistance, its pressure—while avoiding drowning. Losing that connection hits hard.

The first weeks of lockdown were fun for most people—no schedules, just binge-watching shows. But boredom soon crept in. Neel was no different. Between shows, he dabbled in cooking, discovering a hidden talent. But the swimmer’s diet took its toll; he started gaining weight.
Fitness had never been an issue for Neel. Twice-daily swims, gym sessions, and outdoor training kept him in peak shape. Now, stuck in Pune’s ‘Red Zone’ with no access to outdoor activities, he improvised with home workouts. Neel focused on strengthening his legs, a long-standing weakness. By the end of practices, his legs would barely carry him home. “I used this time to work on that,” he says.
But mental fitness was another story. No matter how busy he kept himself, his thoughts drifted to the pool. Frustration built. He remembers thinking, Let everything go to hell. I’ll dive into any waterbody, even if the authorities catch me.
What kept him sane was a simple habit: taking out his swimming bag each day. Packed and ready, it stayed in its spot. He’d check his gear often, as if reminding himself that one day he’d return.
That day came in January 2021, after ten long months. “I was so happy to be back in the pool,” Neel smiles. But the real surprise was how quickly he regained form. “I was shocked at my recovery, but when I look back, it was because of hope. I never let go of the hope of getting back in the water.”
Now, Neel is preparing for the Senior Nationals in March. Maharashtra’s late reopening of pools puts him at a disadvantage, but he’s undeterred.
When asked how he stayed positive through it all, Neel says, “These are bad times, but staying positive is all we can do. It’s like your patience is being tested. Don’t give up. We’re sportspersons—we’re taught to never give up.”
These words resonate in tough times. As Rocky Balboa said, “It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
Life tested swimmers like Neel, knocking them down. But Neel got back up, dusted himself off, and kept going. His advice? “Focus on what you can do, not what you could have done.”
So, if life knocks you down, get back up. Dust yourself off. Keep swimming.
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