28 November,2025 10:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus Vedanayagam
Saanvi (left) and Anvi with their medals
Twin sisters Saanvi and Anvi Deshwal of Bombay Scottish (Mahim) produced a commanding all-round display, sweeping an impressive six gold and five silver medals between them in the girls U-16 category of the Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) annual inter-school aquatics meet at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Swimming Pool in Shivaji Park recently.
Saanvi opened the meet in style, clinching the 100m butterfly gold with a sharp 1:09.13 seconds, while Anvi followed closely for silver, clocking 1:10.27s, and Dhirubhai Ambani International School's (BKC) Nivedita Shah taking bronze (1:13.68s).
The sisters extended their supremacy in the 200m Individual Medley, where Saanvi's well-timed strokes helped her seal another gold (2:32.57s), while Anvi secured silver again (2:36.47s). Cathedral and John Connon's (Fort) Samaira Mehrotra finished third (2:40.47s).
Saanvi set three New Meet Records (NMR). The most striking result came in the 100m backstroke, where she clocked 1:11.91s to break a five-year-old mark set by one of her school's ex-students Aanya Wala's (1:11.97s in 2019), earning her the first NMR of the competition. Anvi added another silver here, clocking 1:12.26s, while Saanvi Murarka of Cathedral took bronze (1:16.95s).
In the 100m freestyle, one of the marquee events, Saanvi delivered another record-breaking performance. Her 1:01.83s erased Aanya Wala's 2019 mark of 1:02.59s, handing her a second NMR. Anvi clocked 1:03.19s to maintain her consistent silver run while their school-mate Alisha Tulshan finished third (1:08.11s).
Saanvi capped off her individual campaign with a brilliant win in the 100m breaststroke, stopping the clock at 1:20.55s to break Shruti Swamy's (Dhirubhai Ambani) 2023 record of 1:21.22s. Anvi added her fifth silver medal (1:32.38s), while Gokuldham High School's (Goregaon) Amelia Khan was third (1:37.00).
In the team event - the U-16 girls 4x50m Medley Relay, Saanvi powered Bombay Scottish to a commanding win, securing her sixth gold and helping her sister win her first. Bombay Scottish clocked 2:29.90s, followed by Gokuldham (2:39.74s) and Nita Mukesh Ambani International School (2:46.81s).
At 14, Saanvi, who is younger than Anvi by two minutes, was the youngest swimmer in the field. She recently represented India at the World Jr Aquatics C'ships in Romania (August), finishing 30th overall, and later competed for Maharashtra at the Asian Aquatics C'ships in Ahmedabad (September), finishing eighth. "I started swimming with my sister when we were just two. We would splash around the pool in our floats," said Saanvi who's still making quite a splash in the pool.
