Her father first encouraged her to take a dip 12 years ago, “It was just a casual day out with my father, he asked me to try out swimming,” she recalls. That day she remained at the three feet level, but for Bibidha those three feet would eventually change into her passion and commitment.[break]
From then on she began swimming on a regular basis; before she realized it, she was freestyling in twelve feet waters. “I don´t really recall how I reached from three feet to six and then to twelve,” she smiles. Back then her father would train her and he made sure she practiced regularly.
A student then, she had never took swimming for more than a hobby. At her father´s insistence, she, however, participated in an interschool competition. She said, “I could not find a reason to decline and went on to win a gold medal.”
The medal gave her the drive to practice and she dedicated any free time to swimming. With her family´s support combined with increased participation, she gained more confidence. She took part in most local competitions and after winning several medals she joined the national swimming team.
The 1999 Asia Pacific Water Diving Competition in India was her first international-level experience when she represented Nepal. Although she did not win a medal, she believes she “gained confidence and was even more encouraged”.
For over a decade, Bibidha has made her presence felt in numerous competitions resulting in her room being adorned with 160 medals she has accumulated, over 60 of them are gold. She has made Nepal proud by winning a bronze medal at the 2007 South Asian Games and Water Polo Championship.
Today, she teaches third graders at Brihaspati Vidyasadan, Naxal. She enjoys her job as she is fond of children and the timing is ideal. “School finishes early evening so I get time to practice,” she says, as she still swims and even coaches.
With five years of working experience as a swimming coach, she says she being a coach is “not very difficult”. “I like to make learning fun for my students for I like to be taught that way,” she smiles.
Bibidha has a craving for excitement but also “loves shopping and traveling”. With her best friend and little sister, Bishestha, the siblings share good times whether in shopping or traveling.
Unexpected as it may be, the Hindi movie buff was a Journalism student in high school and college but opted out as she believed it was not her forte. Being an introvert, she felt it was difficult for her to interview prominent people. During her internship period, Bibidha recalls how her editor asked her to rewrite every story.
“There was not a single reporting that I filed without having to go back for more information,” she laughs. She handles being interviewed by saying, “I don´t get interviewed often in fact even if I tell my name people would barely identify”.
Although it does not bother Bibidha that sportspersons are hardly given recognition in Nepal, she does have complaints about her field. “Like everything else, the swimming field is messed up,” she says. From not receiving enough training to not been taken care of during championships, there are many areas that require work which is why Bibidha chooses to teach.
The one reason she is determined not to give up on swimming is her parents, especially her father. As Bibidha says, “It cannot be a career for me, but it will always remain
my love”.
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