#Everyday Hero

Naveed Raheem: A Story of Courage from Sri Lanka

Katie Speldewinde
September 13, 2024

The greatest swimmer and perhaps the greatest Olympian of all time Michael Phelps once said, “If you want to be the best, you have to do things other people aren’t willing to do.”

While there are many who have taken on this challenge in the sporting world and the world at large, a 19-year-old from Sri Lanka made it his life’s motto. Born with a birth defect that left him a below-the-knee amputee, Naveed Raheem has risen to the occasion and become a source of inspiration to many. After watching his brothers train, this young swimmer developed a love for the sport that would eventually take him to the Paris 2024 Paralympics to represent Sri Lanka.

Naveed, a student of DS Senanayake College Colombo has overcome many obstacles during his journey as a professional swimmer. Having started off training at school level, he found the required professional training of a Para-Athlete at Killer Whale Aquatics, the home of many other Olympians including the most recent swimming duo Ganga Seneviratne and Kyle Abeysinghe.

Naveed’s determination and hard work gave him the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka as the team captain during the Asian Youth Para Games, where he was able to win a bronze medal in his favourite event, the 400m freestyle. This is where his passion for winning and putting his home country on the global swimming map truly ignited.

Naveed competed in the Men’s 400m Freestyle – S9 swimming event and was placed in the first heat of the event. He finished 5th and clocked 4:42:71 minutes. Naveed finished overall 10^th based on the timings once the heats had been concluded and did not qualify for the finals.

Despite this, his Coach and Sri Lanka’s most successful swimming coach to-date Manoj Abeysinghe praised the young swimmer’s determination and called him a true inspiration to the younger generation. Naveed along with his fellow swimmers at KWA continue to train rigorously to take Sri Lankan Swimming to greater heights.

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