- Just Turned Six Years, multi-sport prodigy takes on swimmers twice her age, storms to 100m Butterfly gold and 100m Backstroke bronze
- Youngest entrant in 7–11 years category at 3rd Aqua Recreation Meet after earning selection on merit
- From Football and skating to swimming, cycling, running, athletics, triathlon, aquathlon, duathlon and adventure sports, Inaaya is already embracing sport without boundaries
- Her next challenges: 5-km Marathon, Sprint Triathlon and 1-km open-water Ocean swim
- Daughter of Karnavati University Assistant Professor Dr Supriya Singh (IIM-Ahmedabad & Nirma University Alumni), the Ahmedabad youngster is emerging as a promising grassroots sporting talent
NE SPORTS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, SEPT 12
What happens when a tiny swimmer refuses to stay in a tiny lane? The answer is Inaaya N.
At an age when most children are still discovering their favourite playground game, the young Ahmedabad sporting enthusiast is already making waves across disciplines—and her latest splash of success has come in the swimming pool.
Studying in Sr KG at Apollo Juniors, AIS Apollo International, Tragad, Inaaya has produced a remarkable performance at the 3rd Aqua Recreation Meet 2026, held from August 14 to 16 at Mento Pools, Makarba, Ahmedabad, organised by the Soft Tennis Association of Gujarat (STAG) for Ahmedabad Urban.
What makes her achievement particularly striking is not merely the medals, but where and against whom she won them.
Selected purely on the strength of her performance, Inaaya competed in the 7–11 years swimming category, well above her own age group, and emerged as the youngest participant in the competition, which drew more than 500 participants across various events and categories.
And the little champion did not merely participate—she made the podium twice.
Inaaya won the Gold Medal in the 100m Butterfly Stroke and added a Bronze Medal in the 100m Backstroke, turning an age-defying challenge into a double-medal performance.
A little swimmer with a giant sporting appetite
Inaaya’s journey is already much bigger than swimming.
As reported earlier by Navjeevan Express, the young sports enthusiast has participated in skating, swimming, cycling, running, athletics, triathlon, aquathlon, duathlon, gymnastics, football and adventure sports, displaying an unusually broad appetite for competition and physical challenges.
That multi-sport exposure is becoming a defining feature of her sporting journey.
From chasing a football to gliding on skates, from taking on swimming lanes to embracing adventure activities, Inaaya appears to be following one simple sporting philosophy—why choose one playground when there is a whole world of sport to explore?
Her confidence has also been visible beyond competition arenas. Her participation in the Gujarat Police’s anti-drug cyclothon earlier this year placed her among the youngest faces associated with the “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life” message.
Now, the little champion is taking on BIG challenges
The Aqua Recreation Meet medals could prove to be only the beginning of an even more adventurous sporting calendar.
Inaaya has been selected, under special conditions against an indemnity bond, for three demanding upcoming events:
December 13, 2026:
Sprint Triathlon — 750m swimming + 20km cycling + 5km running, completed non-stop.
November 29, 2026:
5-km Marathon.
January 9th & 10th, 2027:
1-km Open Water Ocean Swimathon, in the Arabian Sea.
For a youngster still in Sr KG, these are extraordinary challenges—but they also underline the confidence and determination that have become hallmarks of her sporting journey.
The family behind the fearless little athlete
Inaaya is the daughter of Dr Supriya Singh, Assistant Professor at Karnavati University.
With academics on one side and sport on the other, the family is encouraging Inaaya to explore her potential across disciplines rather than being confined to a single sporting identity.
That approach could prove valuable at this formative stage. Multi-sport participation can expose young athletes to different forms of movement, coordination, endurance, balance and competition—while, most importantly, keeping the joy of sport alive.
From Ahmedabad’s lanes to Gujarat’s sporting horizon
Inaaya’s story is still at its beginning.
There are no grand claims yet, only small medals, increasingly bigger challenges and a child who appears to enjoy every minute of the journey.
But the signs are encouraging.
A 100m Butterfly gold, a 100m Backstroke bronze, selection to compete against considerably older swimmers, participation across multiple sports and a calendar that already includes a marathon, triathlon and Arabian Sea open-water challenge make Inaaya a young name worth watching.
Gujarat has been steadily expanding its sporting ecosystem and Ahmedabad is increasingly hosting major sporting events. Against that backdrop, nurturing children like Inaaya could help create the next generation of athletes who are not afraid to dream beyond conventional boundaries.
The pool may have given Inaaya her latest medals—but with football, skating, cycling, running and adventure sports already in her sporting backpack, this little champion appears determined to keep making waves wherever the next challenge takes her.
