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Everybody knows Nisha Millet as an iconic swimmer who, in 2000, became the first Indian to scale the Olympic qualification mark for the quadrennial event in Sydney. Some even identify her as a motivational trainer who inspires thousands of youngsters to take a plunge into the world of swimming.
But what's not known that Nisha had hated the sight of a swimming pool after a life-threatening incident at the age of five.She was in Hyderabad at that time. Nisha and her pals were playing on the edge of a pond. A momentary lapse saw her falling into the pond and beginning to drown. Luckily, her father Aubrey Millet reached the spot and rescued her, much to the relief of her friends.
The incident left an indelible scar on the youngster's mind. "Had my dad not been around I would have drowned to death," Nisha reminisces.
THE BIG LEAP
Four years later, when her family moved to Chennai, her life changed forever when she took the first step towards conquering great heights in swimming.
She took a plunge into the Dolphin Swim Club pool under the tutelage of her father. She had her first serious competition __ the state-level championship in 1991 __ where she won medals and qualified for the national meet in Bangalore.
"I could win only a bronze in the Bangalore championship. I cried the whole night for failing to win the gold. I took a pledge to come back strongly the next year," Nisha says. And she did, winning four gold medals. "My dad always told me to beat the boys. Winning became a habit for me once I started following his advice."
But Nisha surprised even her father when she clinched four gold medals in her maiden appearance at the senior national championships in 1994. Her father asked her immediately: ‘Are you serious about this sport?' And pat came the reply: "Yes, I want to be the best swimmer."
Then came her father's verdict: "Nisha's moving to Bangalore. If she shows signs of improvement, we all will shift in another six months." It was an unexpected decision for Nisha, her mother Sheila Millet and sister Reshma.
LIFE IN BANGALORE
In the middle of her eighth standard, Nisha joined the bandwagon of aspiring swimmers who migrated to Bangalore, thanks to Prathap and Anitha Reddy, who owned the KC Reddy Swim Centre, and coach Nihar Ameen. Initial adjustment issues aside, especially at Sophia's, her school till Class 10, she coped well. "Very shy then", her confidence grew with each passing day as she made plenty of friends. Simultaneously, she made giant strides in swimming too.
NO PARENTAL PRESSURE
Unlike many, Nisha was lucky as her parents never demanded her to be No. 1 in school and at the pool. "All they wanted was first class in all exams, which I fulfilled every year," she says.
GLOBAL ACCLAIM
It was in 1993 when she competed in her first international championship. Rubbing shoulders with talented Chinese swimmers, she won a bronze in 100m freestyle in the Asian Age Group Championships, Hong Kong. Two years later, she bagged her first international gold in 100m backstroke in the same competition in Colombo.
JOURNEY TO OLYMPICS
But the most memorable moment came in 2000 when she qualified for the Olympics __ a year after she began training under national coach Pradeep Kumar at the Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre (BAC).
The Olympics qualification, indeed, was sweet revenge for Nisha against the unsporting officials of Swimming Federation of India who denied her a chance to compete in the 1996 Olympics. "I expected a wild card for the event as I was one of the best in India. But the SFI and Indian Olympic Association gave the nod to Sangeeta Rani Puri, a US-based Indian. She came to India just four months before the Olympics and competed in one or two of the nationals. I was ignored by the powers-that-be," Nisha said.
"The incident gave me sleepless nights. Then I pledged to work hard to meet the qualification standards for the next Olympics." She waited till April 2000 to make her dream come true. She trained in Perth under International Olympic Committee's Solidarity Scholarship. At that time, she competed in the Australian junior championships in her pet event, 200m freestyle. She clocked 2:06.62 in the final after achieving 2:06.80 in the heats. In the process, she booked a berth for the Olympics.
INJURY TIME
Injuries began plaguing her much before the Olympic qualifiers, though she didn't allow back pain to conquer her. But once she returned from Olympics, the pain became unbearable. "I couldn't sleep those days," she remembers. Later, it was diagnosed as a benign tumor. She happened to meet then Indian cricket team physio Andrew Leipus at an ICC awards function in Bangalore. He suggested a two-month physiotherapy regime which worked wonders.
In two months, she returned to the BAC and competed in the Nationals. But she realized that time had come to call it quits. The next Olympics was four years away and it cost a fortune to stay in competitive shape. "So I decided to bid adieu without regret," she says.
NEW BEGINNING
Nisha then turned her attention to coaching. She and her husband Bikranjeeet Chatterjee run six swimming coaching classes in Bangalore. "We have trained more than 15,000 people so far. My mother, too, helps me in managing the classes. My dad will join us when he retires," Nisha says.
But she doesn't want to be a professional coach. "I am enjoying the role of a trainer than that of a swimmer. The joy will be lost if you become a professional trainer," she concludes.