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In 2018, Srihari Nataraj was still three seconds short of the ‘A’ Olympic qualification timing of 53.85 in 100m backstroke. And just as he started picking up the pace, he was hit by another roadblock.
The nationwide lockdown in 2020, due to COVID-19, shut down all facilities around the country. It meant he had no access to swimming pools for nearly six months.
However, the 20-year-old braved and triumphed in all the challenges that followed. It allowed him to become only the second Indian after Sajan Prakash to get direct qualification for the Tokyo Olympics. All he needed was a special recipe, devised with the help of his support team to get the perfect result. In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Srihari said:
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“Those were some tough times. But I never lost hope. My coach Nihar Ameen, Dr Deckline Leitao (strength and conditioning coach), Balakrishnan (physiotherapist), all of them made sure I stay positive and stay focused towards the goal.”
Srihari missed the Olympic qualifying mark by 0.05s at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome. Two days later, he redeemed himself with a 53.77s effort in a time trial in the same competition.
He said missing the mark by such a close margin was disappointing, but there was no point thinking too much about it.
“It was certainly upsetting. But we just moved. We went out that day and had pizza and gelato. Maybe that the two things worked for me,” Srihari Nataraj laughs.
Srihari Nataraj’s life in pool
The strapping 6ft 3 Bengaluru swimmer was in relentless pursuit of Tokyo Olympic qualification. But his journey to the top started all the way back in 2003.
The 20-year-old hails from a family of sportspeople. His mother is a former Tamil Nadu junior volleyball player, while his cousins, including former international Sivaranjani, have all been talented swimmers. Srihari Nataraj credits his mother Kalyani for introducing him to the sport. He said:
“My brother was a swimmer. So, whenever he had practice, mom would just put me by the pool. I was probably two when I first came in contact with the sport."
Srihari is a senior swimming national record holder who is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Bangalore’s Jain University.
ALSO READ: Watershed moment for Indian swimming as Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj qualify for Tokyo
The young swimmer from Bengaluru quickly rose through the ranks. But his turning point came at the 2019 nationals held in Bhopal. Srihari Nataraj won the ‘best swimmer’ award after grabbing eight gold medals (four individual and four in the relays).
Breaking records was something the young swimmer had started savoring. At the world junior championships held in Budapest in the same year, Srihari broke his senior Indian record in all three backstroke events to enter the final.
However, he was unable to repeat his extraordinary performances from the earlier rounds and finished sixth in the 50m and seventh in 100m. It’s worth noting that out of the three records broken by him in Budapest, two were set a month earlier at the senior Worlds in Gwangju, South Korea.
Srihari Nataraj's battle through lockdown and ticket to Tokyo
After suffering from a three-second deficit in 2018, Srihari Nataraj took significant strides to improve his timing to meet the Olympic qualfication mark this year. By September 2020, he was just 0.84s away in the 100m. A change in technique and lifestyle were key elements to this giant leap. He said:
“We just made a few changes to my technique. Instead of going with a flutter kick at the start, my coach advised me to use Dolphin kick as the latter helps in gaining better speed. Also, he asked me to delay my pedalling which helped me push forward."
But Srihari Nataraj never really got the time to practice his newly honed skills. The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, followed by a nationwide lockdown, had thrown all plans out of the window.
Pools and other facilities were shut which meant swimmers were unable to train or prepare for the upcoming mega event.
With no luck in India, Srihari tried looking elsewhere. However, it was just as hard to find pools in other countries. Srihari Nataraj said the lockdown felt like a vacation early on but eventually it became a whole new challenge of its own. He said:
“That was my first vacation in 10 years. It was fun initially. I played games, watched unlimited movies, ate everything I like. But I had started gaining fat and losing muscles. I did train with my friend but for swimmers, nothing can replace a pool."
During the lockdown, Srihari focused on learning new things. One thing he was happy about was finally learning how to play the guitar.
READ: Meet Maana Patel, India’s first female swimmer to qualify for Tokyo Olympics 2020
“I could finally play the guitar. Fingerpicking is still difficult but I am getting there,” Nataraj said excitedly.
Srihari Nataraj finally entered the pool for the first time since the lockdown in August. He traveled to Dubai to train with AC Jairaj at the Aqua Nation Swimming Academy.
“SFI, SAI and TOPS helped me getting the training camp in Dubai. Had it not been for them, it would have been tough to resume training in the COVID-19 situation,” he said.
However, Srihari Nataraj suffered an injury as soon as he hit the pool.
“Doctors told me the injury was due to overload and hence take things slowly." he said. “It is then when I started learning a lot about food from my nutritionist Mangla Navith.”
In November, he shifted to Dolphin Aquatics in the Padukone-Dravid Centre of Excellence in Devanahalli, Karnataka. He will continue to train there until the Tokyo Olympics.
“I am thankful to the Karnataka Swimming Association for allowing me to train at Dolphins. My techniques are still raw, so my focus will be to train harder to perfect them and give my best at the Tokyo Olympics,” Srihari Nataraj sighed off.
History beckons Srihari Nataraj and a good performance in Tokyo later this month will inspire millions in the country!
