A 15-year-old canoeing athlete, Maya Dhankar, drowned during a practice session in a village pond in Karontha, Rohtak district, Haryana.
Maya, a rising talent in junior canoeing, had recently qualified for the national championships and was undergoing training at the pond under the Khel Nursery Scheme.
According to her family, Maya was a disciplined athlete who trained rigorously every morning and evening, dreaming of representing India on the global stage.
She attempted to swim across the 150-metre long and 100-metre wide water body after completing her canoeing practice, but began struggling in the deep, middle section and called out for help.
Fellow trainees and locals rushed to pull her out, but she had taken in a large volume of water. Maya was pronounced dead on arrival at the Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak.
An investigation is underway, with police awaiting the final autopsy report, though preliminary findings conclusively point to drowning.
