You can see her regularly on Elliots Beach Road in Chennai, in shorts, either running or cycling or participating in some marathon. Sheila Sekhar (67), a resident of Chennai since 2021, is another example of how age is no barrier to pursuing one`s passions. After reaching several milestones in swimming and running, she is continuing to conquer.
Born in Jamshedpur where her grandfather was staying, she grew up in Kerala where her father worked. She did her primary schooling at St. Theresa’s Convent, Shoranur and High school at Govt. Girls High School, Cotton Hill, Thiruvananthapuram. She is a graduate in commerce from Government Victoria College, Palakkad in Kerala. 
Sheila remembers spending time playing many traditional indoor games during her childhood. Thanks to a neighbour she and her brothers were also exposed to Carnatic music. Sheila says,“Sports were always an important part of our childhood and the competition was tough. I was a good athlete and played handball and basketball in college. All the neighbourhood boys and my brothers were enrolled to learn swimming, but being a girl I was not allowed. I was very disappointed with this.”
While still a student of B.Com, she was recruited as a clerk by the Bank of India in 1978. In 1981 she got married to R.Sekhar and moved to Hyderabad. Life became very hectic with a full-time job and the birth of her sons Srikant and Shankar in 1983 and 1985 respectively.
She took voluntary retirement from her bank job in 2000 when she was only 42. Apart from devoting more time to the family she also decided to revive her interest in swimming, a lifelong unfulfilled dream.
“I started going to a swimming pool which was 13 km away. I was active, fit, and athletic but still it was not easy because adult swimming is not intuitive and I was terrified of deep water. Also, there was just a 30-minute slot for females and that was not enough to pick up the courage to try anything. I would just stay near the wall in the shallows. However, at home, I spent time watching instructional DVDs about swimming which my brother had sent me from the USA. I would just go to the pool and try the “drills” as per the DVDs. This turned out to be the best method because this systematic way of breaking up the stroke into several parts and building muscle memory for each body position and movement is the best way to learn swimming. That concept was unheard of in India at the time and there was hardly any know-how to teach swimming to adults.”
But her fear of deep water simply refused to leave her. She would mostly swim only in lane 1, where she could grab the boundary wall any time. After four months of self-learning, the coaches at the pool started noticing Sheila and marveled at how smooth she was in the water. Encouraged by them she soon gained enough confidence to participate in local swimming competitions for adults. She got her first prize in a competition at Osmania University, Hyderabad in 2002. She was quite thrilled that she could swim 50 meters non-stop!
In 2008, the family moved to Goa and in 2010 to Mumbai because her husband took new roles at work. This was a great blessing for her swimming. She discovered a robust swimming culture in Goa. There were swimming pools in every district and unlimited access to coaches and dedicated lifeguards.
“All of this catapulted my training and skills to a higher level. In Mumbai, I was fortunate to have access to the TATA colony Olympic size pool and I trained with total dedication. When we moved back to Hyderabad we chose to live near the Gachibowli stadium which housed great swimming facilities and I could continue to keep up the practice. At about this time, the Swimming Federation of India started conducting National Masters swimming competitions annually. Swimmers from all states of India from ages 25 to 100 or more could participate in age group-based competitions. I started competing at these events after winning at the state level for my age group and qualifying for the nationals. I worked hard throughout the year, which paid rich dividends. I have participated in the National Masters swimming championships till 2021 and have won 13 Gold, 23 Silver, and 15 Bronze medals at the national level and several more at the state level.”
Not content with her success as a swimmer, in 2011, she added race and cycling to her training activities. She always walked long distances daily so race walking was an easy transition. The colony where they lived in Hyderabad had several marathon runners and cyclists. She could train with them. This was also the time when big marathon events started featuring in major cities across India. She started participating in distance running events like the 10km race in 2014 and made her mark finishing within the top three places on several occasions. She also competed in a few triathlon events during this time.
The next dream was to participate in open water competitions. Sadly, in India lakes and rivers are polluted and there is no encouragement for these activities. Things are changing slowly and now there are sea, river, lake and reservoir swimming events.
“In Vijayawada, every January, there is a Krishna river crossing event which is a 1.5km swim at Prakasam barrage. I entered this event in 2020 and completed it effortlessly in 35 minutes. This was a major achievement and confidence booster for me. I value this achievement as one of my best efforts.”
During the family’s stay in a housing society in Hyderabad which had over 1000 flats and also had two swimming pools Sheila would impart swimming training to several kids, adults, senior citizens and even visiting guests from abroad. Some of them, motivated by her, even participated in competitions and won prizes.
“Many of them today correspond with me to clarify their doubts about techniques and tips to improve” says Sheila with pride.
Her husband and children have been very supportive through all her sports activities. They are also major sponsors for all her training aids, costumes and traveling expenses, etc.
“Balancing these activities with my family responsibilities is indeed very challenging. I have to wake up early in the morning for my training / practice. Most evenings are also spent on my athletic training and also on looking after my terrace garden”.
Sheila`s children are also much into sports. Both her sons are settled abroad, and play club cricket. The younger one played at the national level in handball and the elder one is a certified umpire and coach for cricket
In 2023, her husband suffered a paralytic stroke and was bedridden and speech impaired for over 6 months. Though he is a little better now, he is still dependent, and needs assistance. This was a major setback for her activities.
“My practice has taken a back seat, but still I manage to swim and run by getting up early in the morning and allotting time for these activities. Sadly, I have not been able to travel outstation for swimming competitions after this setback”.
Despite this, she won four gold medals at the TN State Masters Swimming Competition in August 2024. She continues to dream about taking on new challenges,
“I am planning to train in sea swimming. It is my wish to participate in ocean swimming events, long-distance events and also to be a part of Relay Ironman teams, where I can do the swimming leg. I am also continuing my distance running training”
If there is a will there is a way. Sheila is certainly a role model among senior citizens who pursue their passions with determination and commitment. Let us wish her success in all her future endeavours!