Pragnya Mohan trained in Australia, lead India’s Triathalon team at CWG2022

India’s star triathlete at the Commonwealth Games 2022, Pragnya Mohan spent six months in Australia and Spain to train in the open waters.

Pragnya, lovingly called Praggers, trained with Fluid Movements in 2017 and did her first open water swim in Australia.

The 27-year-old qualified chartered accountant had suffered five major road accidents during training or competing and also undergone two surgeries that left metal rods inserted in her wrist and leg.

However, 5 accidents and 2 surgeries couldn’t break Pragnya’s spirit and she lead India’s triathlon team which made its debut at the CWG 2022.

Sarah Storey, Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to India, tweeted: “Australian and Indian women athletes are doing our countries proud at #CWG2022.”

🇦🇺 & 🇮🇳 women athletes are doing our countries proud at #CWG2022. Read this inspiring story of 🇮🇳 triathlete @pragnyamohan – who battled all odds to lead #India for the first time at the Games. Pragnya trained six months in 🇦🇺 for her triathlon debut! https://t.co/6cHt3vdDOS pic.twitter.com/FojnALlo8z

— Sarah Storey (@AusDHCIndia) August 6, 2022

Pragnya told The Bridge that her father is her coach and strength since childhood:

“My father, Pratap Mohan, is my coach whenever I am training in India and he is extremely involved…he has been the one pushing me since the beginning.”

Pragnya Mohan and Sanjana Sunil Joshi, who is just 16-year-old and competed on a borrowed bike, finished 26th & 28th respectively in Women’s individual sprint distance (Final) out of 32 contestants.

CWG | Triathlon: Pragnya Mohan & Sanjana Sunil Joshi finished 26th & 28th respectively in Women's individual sprint distance (Final) out of 32 contestants.
👉 This is the first time that India is participating in Triathlon at the CWG. pic.twitter.com/wSTJhhVlei

— India_AllSports (@India_AllSports) July 29, 2022

India sent a four-member Mixed Relay Team —  Adarsh M S, Vishwanath Yadav, Sanjana Joshi, and Pragnya Mohan — in a sport that incorporates swimming, cycling and running in one race and where the country virtually has no history.

All eyes were set on Pragnya who is the national and South Asian champion and the only Indian to compete in a triathlon World Cup.

.@pragnyamohan is one of India's ace #triathlete. She has won 2️⃣ gold medals 🥇 at the South Asian Championship in 2019, 2022 and won 1️⃣ gold 🥇and 1️⃣ bronze medal 🥉 at the South Asian Games 2019 in the mixed relay and individual category.#India4CWG2022#Cheer4India
1/1 pic.twitter.com/5SiOFeBtI4

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) July 21, 2022

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Pragnya Mohan is also the first Indian to compete in a World Cup held in Madrid, Spain, in 2019. She told World Triathalon:

“I was proud to be able to race well despite an injury, and to have led my peloton for two thirds of the route. There were people in the crowd cheering for India and that got the adrenaline pumping.”

Pragnya is currently ranked 365 in the world and to qualify for the Olympics she’ll need to be around the top 70. 

Team India finished 10th in the Mixed Relay Triathalon event while the Australian team won the Bronze medal.

Triathalon is one of the world’s most popular endurance events which made its debut in the Olympic programme at the 2000 Sydney Games.