There is a certain humbleness about Rehan Poncha that needs to be admired. Though he has won many, many medals over the years, his commitment towards swimming has not waned one bit. Success has come but he still continues to train with the same intensity as he did years ago as a sub-junior.

Winning has become a habit with Bangalore boy Poncha. Over the years, he has become mature and continues to decimate opposition with his prowess. That is why he is still at the top, as he proved in the just-concluded 61st Senior National Aquatic Championship at Panaji. His total haul was four individual and two relay gold and one silver medal, with his individual efforts coming in record timings.

The lean and lanky Poncha was thrilled with his show at Panaji. "Barring the 200 metres butterfly event, I think the event was superb. This was one of the best meets I could have asked for.

"Swimming in two back-to-back events was slightly tough but I had to give it my best. My coach had chalked out a good plan for me and things worked well," said Poncha, who also did well at the Asian Age Group swimming championship in Jakarta recently.

Though competition has changed over the years and Poncha has successfully countered them to win, there are other things apart from the competitors that he has had to deal with. "There will always be pressure as my former coach in Mumbai Yang Chin Shen used to say. Whether it is the first or the 100th race, there will be pressure. It is how one deals with it that makes the difference. I would like to add that the other swimmers are good. What has helped me win is that my jump from workout to race is good," he said.

"I have also learnt a lot from watching other swimmers. That is why we should go out and take part in more events," said the psychology and journalism student at Sree Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College. Though Poncha has won umpteen number of events at the National level, he still enjoys competing in the Nationals and winning medals. "What pushes me is that I am never satisfied. I may be the National champion but there are other swimmers who are good. My aim is to always achieve better timings," said Poncha, who was adjudged the best men's swimmer at the Panaji Nationals.

After a great show in Panaji, there are bigger things to do for the swimmer who trains under Pradeep Kumar at the Basavanagudi Aquatic Club. The main aim now is to qualify for next year's Olympic Games in Beijing.
"There are a few Olympic qualification meets before July next year and I need to work out a proper schedule so that I peak at the right time. I am targeting the 400M individual medley, 200M butterfly and 400M freestyle.  "However, nothing has been decided yet. I need to plan properly. Last time, there was too much pressure on me after the Athens Olympics qualifiers and the after-effects were not pleasant. For a long time, I was not able to do the timings I did while trying to qualify."

Poncha has one dream for the future. A dream of becoming a coach someday. And that is something he would love to do as much as he loves photography. "I love photography but I do not get much time to practice," Poncha said. "But yes, I aim to become a coach after I am done with swimming. Just imagine working with other coaches and trying to bring out the best in a group of children. It can never be boring. It just fascinates me," he added. Coaching is for the future. But now being just 21 years old, Poncha is a fired up person and aims to do better and better with each passing day and event. Competing and winning will never fail to thrill him.