Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], Feb 24 : The University of Mumbai's twin-sisters Jyoti and Aarti are setting the swimming pool at the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) on fire as the duo shared four medals between them on Monday.
On the opening day of the swimming events at the KIUG, the twins ended up on the podium in the 200m breaststroke, Jyoti winning a gold and Aarti a bronze, the duo also helped the University of Mumbai to clinch a bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
They hang out together, pull pranks on each other and even enjoy the same kind of films, No surprise there of course: they are identical twins, yes, Jyoti and Aarti are best friends and training partners too; but they are also fierce competitors once they are out there in the water.
"At the age of four, we swam from the Gateway of India to Alibaug, setting a record for the fastest time by twins their age in the process," Jyoti said.
With more events to come up, they want to take the pressure off and relax. And for that there is only one remedy: unwind with the kind of movie they like best. "Don't tell anyone," Jyoti laughed, "but our favourites are Tamil movies."
Interestingly, training and family time is virtually the same thing for everybody in the house. "Even today it is a family outing," Aarti added.
Jyoti has got a head-start over Aarti as far as Khelo India Games go. She not only took part in the second edition in Pune but also won gold in the 200m and silver in the 100m, both breast-stroke. But for Aarti this is new.
"I was hugely disappointed to have not made it for the Games in 2019. But in a way, it was a blessing in disguise. Here I am now, at the inaugural edition of the Khelo India University Games 2020," Aarti said.
Between them, however, the twins have over a hundred medals over several events at the district, state and national levels. They follow the dictate of their father, who is in the Mumbai Police force when it comes to events.
"To tell you the truth, we have never been coached to aim for medals or to win races. The idea is to put in your best every day and let success take care of itself," Aarti revealed.
( With inputs from ANI )