A 45-year-old athlete from Ludhiana has clinched two gold and two silver medals at the 2nd asian masters swimming championship in Bengaluru. Abhipsha Thakur, born in Ludhiana trains under city-based coach Ajay. She is now preparing for the 2027 World Masters Championship in Budapest, Hungary.

Thakur clinched gold in the 400m freestyle and 200m individual medley at the championship, held from October 4 to 10. She also secured silver medals in two events, although the details of the second silver-medal finish need to be verified against the official results.

A former student of KVM School and GGNIMT, she moved to Singapore after marriage. Thakur credited her coach’s guidance and encouragement for helping her achieve what once seemed unattainable.

Her return to competitive swimming has yielded an impressive series of performances. At the 21st National Masters Aquatic Championship in Singapore, held from November 21 to 23 last year, she competed in the 40-44 years age category and won gold in the 400m freestyle and 50m butterfly, silver in the 200m individual medley and bronze in the 200m freestyle.

More recently, at the 22nd National Masters Swimming Championships for Men and Women in Bahadurgarh, Haryana, in September, Thakur competed in the 45-49 years category. She won gold in the 50m butterfly, 200m medley and 400m medley, besides securing silver in the 400m freestyle.

After moving to Singapore, Thakur returned to championship swimming following a hiatus of nearly three decades. Her latest international performance marks another milestone in her sporting comeback as she sets her sights on the 2027 world championship.