|
It is not often that one comes across a national champion, let alone a record-holder who dominated her sport for the better part of a decade. Miti Pandit was a National Champion for India in High-board and Spring-board Diving for most of the 1980s. Yes, Diving - the same sport that is so awe-inspiring to watch that it requires ever-increasing "degrees of difficulty" just to spectate!! Miti also competed in the Junior Asian, and British and Australian Open Championships during her dominance as India's top diver between 1983 and 1988.
Miti started diving at a relatively early age of 8 and was coached at Indore's Municipal Swimming Facility by a local, diving enthusiast with absolutely no competitive or professional coaching experience and yet one who developed three generations of top-level divers through sheer passion. Miti started diving competitively within three years of taking up the sport and she immediately catapulted to the top with convincing victories at the State, Regional and Junior Nationals, recording her first Gold medal in 1981 at the Calcutta Junior Nationals. Within a year, she had won her first medal (bronze) at the Senior Nationals held in Kanpur. Her first Gold at the senior levels came in 1983 at Trivandrum. Her first "double" (golds in both highboard and springboard) was recorded at the Delhi Nationals in 1985 and she duplicated that effort the following year at the Ahemdabad Nationals. In between, Miti bagged 2 silvers and a bronze medal at the 1985 Junior Asian Aquatic Championships held in Bombay.
In 1984, she won the "Vikram Award", Madhya Pradesh's top sport award. Miti has been felicitated by numerous luminaries most notably of whom are Sunil Gavaskar, P.T. Usha, and Lata Mangeshkar. In 1987, Miti attended the prestigious Crystal Palace Academy in London for a summer-long training session that culminated with her competing in the British Open and the Australian Open in Perth. Shortly thereafter, Miti quit diving at the competitive level but still retains her passion for the sport. She continues to be physically active at a recreational level and enjoys most forms of personal training regimens including pilates, yoga and aerobics.
Miti is married to Anirudh Pandit who works for P&G and they, along with their two daughters, moved to Cincinnati in 2004 from Kansas City. Radhika, the elder daughter seems to have inherited her mother's athleticism and is an avid tennis and golf player with some promise. Mullika, at 4 years of age, is already showing a keen sense of determination and stubbornness but that may simply be a normal 4-year old growing up! Miti loves to teach swimming to women and children and currently runs a small day-care from their house in Mason.
Posted October 13th, 2005 |
