Ludhiana’s veteran swimmers made their presence felt at the 22nd National Masters Swimming Championship, with the city’s women contingent returning with three gold and two silver medals from the three-day championship held at the Champions Aquatic Academy, Bahadurgarh, Haryana, from September 11 to 13.The standout performer was Abhipsha Thakur, who made a remarkable return to competitive swimming after a prolonged break. Having travelled from Singapore especially for the championship, Thakur clinched three gold and one silver medal in the 45-49 age category. She topped the podium in the 50m butterfly, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley, besides securing silver in the 400m freestyle.The other silver medal for Ludhiana was won by veteran swimmer Meera Sood in the 60-64 age group. Sood made a competitive comeback after a gap of more than three decades, adding further luster to the city’s performance.The championship, organised for men and women master swimmers, witnessed participation of more than 1,300 swimmers from across the country. The competition featured age groups in five-year brackets from 25 years onwards, extending to the 80-plus category.According to the Punjab Swimming Association (PSA), the Punjab contingent comprised 24 men and seven women swimmers, representing Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Pathankot, Mohali and Punjab Police. Overall, Punjab swimmers won five gold, six silver and 11 bronze medals.The National Masters Championship also carried added significance as it served as a qualifying event for selection to the Indian Masters teams for the 2nd Asian Masters Championship, scheduled to be held in Bengaluru from October 4 to 10.Balraj Sharma, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), PSA and president, Surjit Singh Sandhu said the liberalised qualifying system introduced by the Swimming Federation of India for the Asian Masters event was expected to provide more Indian master swimmers an opportunity to qualify for the continental championship.