Singapore, Jun 24 (Swimming News) Srihari Nataraj and Aneesh Gowda continued to dazzle at the Singapore National Swimming Championships, grabbing gold medals in their respective events on the second day of the meet here on Friday.

Srihari, who is preparing for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games next month, clocked 25.69 to bag the top honours in the 50m backstroke event.

Aneesh, on the other hand, added two more medals in his kitty.

The 18-year-old won the gold in the 200m freestyle event with a time of 1:52.47 and the silver in the individual medley event, where he stopped the clock at 4:37.18.

Both Srihari and Aneesh had won gold on the opening day of the competition as well.

Suvana C Bhaskar was the third Indian swimmer who finished on top of the podium, winning a silver medal in the women's backstroke with a timing of 29.82.

The quartet of Srihari, AS Anand D. Adithya and Rama Rao Sambhavv also picked up a silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay with a timing of 3:26.82. 

Also Read : Singapore Swimming: Srihari Nataraj, Ambre, Gowda bag gold

News Source : PTI

Singapore, Jun 23 (Swimming News) Tokyo Olympian duo of Srihari Nataraj and Maana Patel claimed a gold and a silver each as India won five medals on day one of the Singapore National Swimming Championships here on Thursday.

The promising Mihir Ambre won the 50m butterfly while Aneesh Gowda won the 800m freestyle as the Indians bagged three gold on day one of the exposure competition ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Siva Sridhar settled for a third-place finish in the 100m backstroke with a timing of 57.58 seconds as the Indian swimmers won three gold, one silver and one bronze on the day.

The youngest Indian swimmer to have made the Olympic Standard Time, Nataraj made a splash in the 100m backstroke event when he started strongly en route to winning the gold with a timing of 55.32 seconds.

In the women's 100m backstroke, Maana clocked 1:04.47s to clinch silver.

Ambre won the 50m butterfly with a personal best timing of 24.66s while Gowda reigned supreme in the gruelling 800m freestyle with a timing of 8:14.08s. 

Also Read : Kristóf Milák retains 200m butterfly crown by smashing the world record

News Source : PTI

(Swimming news) Hungarian swimmer Kristóf Milák broke his own 200m butterfly record at the World Aquatics Championship in Budapest. The 22 year old’s time of one minute 50.34 seconds was 0.39 seconds faster than the record he set in July 2019. France's Leon Marchand finished second, three seconds behind Milák while Tomoru Honda of Japan took third. Speaking afterwards, Milák said “This is my home, the pool belongs to me, lane four belongs to me. I have 4,000 amazing people here to watch me and I couldn't let them down." 

In other results, Freya Anderson from Great Britain was fastest into the 200m freestyle final but finished fourth while China's Yang Junxuan secured the gold medal. Bobby Finke from the USA won the men's 800m freestyle ahead of Germany's Florian Wellbrock and Ukrainian Mykhailo Romanchuk. Speaking after the event, Finke said “I knew I just had to just stick with them and stay with what I am good at, the finish. I knew the 50 length was going to hurt but it was worth it.” 

One of the most awaited aspects of today’s event is the meeting between American Olympic and world champion Caeleb Dressel and 17 year old Romanian prodigy David Popovici. Popovici won the 200m freestyle final on Monday after being more than a second ahead while Dressel withdrew from the 100m freestyle semi-finals with a medical issue. A statement issued by the United States team on Dressel said “The team will determine his participation in the events later in the week.”

Also read: Ceccon smashes 100m backstroke world record at World Championships

(Swimming news) Italy’s Thomas Ceccon has broken the 100m backstroke world record at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, taking victory in 51.60 seconds, 0.25secs better than Ryan Murphy's previous record which was set in 2016. Four time Olympic gold medallist Murphy from the USA received the silver medal while Hunter Armstrong was third. British Olympic champion Tom Dean received the bronze medal in the 200m freestyle category. 

17 year old Romanian teenager David Popovici broke the world junior record he set in qualifying by winning the gold medal while 19 year old South Korean Hwang Sun-woo won the silver medal. However, it was Thomas Ceccon who enjoyed the centre stage and the Italian said in an interview “I have no words, there was an Olympic champion in 2016 (Murphy) and other strong people in the field, I'm pretty happy. I didn't think of any record or time before the start, I just swam my own race. For me, it's simply unbelievable.” 

Italy had a good time at the World Championships as 17-year-old Benedetta Pilato also won the gold medal in the women's 100m breaststroke. She defeated Germany’s Anna Elendt by just 0.05secs, becoming the first Italian to win the world title while Lithuania's 2012 Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte was third. In an emotional post race interview, Pilato said “I'm super happy, it was my dream and it came true tonight.” 

In other results, American swimmer Katie Ledecky, 25, claimed her second gold medal by winning the women's 1,500m freestyle after securing gold at women's 400m freestyle on the opening day. Britain's Freya Anderson, 21, achieved her personal best of 1:56.05 seconds to qualify fastest for the women's 200m freestyle final. She said “It's a big confidence boost, I've been struggling to get down to a 1:56-low, so I'll take it - but there's always ways to do better."

Also read: Apeksha Fernandes breaks long-standing record in 200m butterfly

It’s fair to say that Apeksha Fernandes isn’t chasing records, it’s the records that are chasing her. The 17 year old made history once again by winning the 200m gold medal, clocking a time of 02:25.18s, a new meet record. She was significantly faster than her closest competitor Disha Bhandari (2:28.58s) while Manavi Verma of Karnataka (2:29.73s) finished in third place. If that’s not all, she’s now setting her sights on the Junior Nationals in July and is aiming to qualify for the FINA World Junior Championships. 

In this exclusive interview, Apeksha Fernandes speaks about her preparations leading up to the tournament, accomplishments at the Khelo India Youth Games, breaking the 200 metres butterfly record, her competitors and her future goals.

Q 1) Tell us about your preparations leading up to the Khelo India Youth Games?

This time’s prep was very limited as I had been travelling a lot more than training. I departed for France for the ISF Gymnasiade on May 12th, after which I raced at Canet-en-Roussillon for the Mare Nostrum swim circuit. We returned home on June 1st after which we had to head over to Pune on the 3rd for the Maharashtra state trails. Jet lagged and tired from all the travelling, I rested the whole of June 5th, trained for two sessions on June 6th and flew out to Ambala on the 7th. Before my races at KIYG, I swam a total of only 4-5 sessions, so these races were more of a mental challenge. But my mom and I have this understanding of never backing down from challenges after we’ve accepted them, so we were set to race and take the results as they came.

Q 2) Did you believe that you could win 4 gold medals in the individual races, a gold and silver in the team relays? Which amongst them was the most difficult to achieve and why?

If I have to be very honest here, foreseeing this time's results was not really possible given my limited time in the water. So to answer your question, no, I had no idea that I’d be coming back home with 4 golds in my individual races. All the individual events were challenging in their own way, so I can’t exactly point out to only one being the most difficult but I’d say that the 200 metre butterfly was a race I’d mentally planned well before swimming it. It was a race I’d spent some time on before I walked into our call-room for reporting. I guess the Indian best timing was the biggest surprise and the most successful outcome of the plan. 

Q 3) How was the feeling of breaking a long-standing record that has existed for 10 years in 200 metres butterfly? 

I had literally no idea that I had been going against the clock for this one. By the way I had planned the race, I was only focused on actually finishing it. After I had glanced at the display, I was so speechless and squeaked, “Oh my god, Indian best” to myself. I was drained, my muscles aching and mouth drooling after that long race but the excitement just seemed to extinguish all that exhaustion, so I ran to my mom and enveloped her in a big, bear hug and did the same to my dad and coach. My best had always been 2:21.52 for a very long time and 2:18.66 seemed like a long way to go. It was unbelievable that I had actually broken such a longstanding record without even having any intention of doing so.

Also read: Rising swimming star Apeksha Fernandes is one to watch out for!

Q 4) What did you feel about the level of competition at the event? 

It’s the same competitors I met last year at the Junior Nationals in Bangalore along with the next generation of talented swimmers, so it felt nice to be back, racing with India’s best swimmers and reuniting with friends. At the call-room, we’re individual swimmers, focused on only ourselves and our races. Everyone comes there with the goal of doing well. We’ve all spent months training for that event, so at the blocks, it’s “may the best win.” In some races I win, in some I don’t, but it’s something I’ve learnt to embrace: the victory with a smile and the defeat with the same smile.

Q 5) What is your next goal in your swimming career? How are you working towards making it a reality?

We’re now focused on Junior Nationals that are going to be held in Bhubaneshwar from July 16th to 21st. This time, I’m aiming to better all my timings and qualify for the FINA World Junior Championships.

New Delhi, Jun 20 (Swimming News) Ace Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash failed to move to the semifinals, finishing 25th in the men's 200m butterfly event of FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The 28-year-old clocked 1:58.67 to finish eighth in his heat. The top five swimmers from his heat progressed to the semifinals.

The two-time Olympian, who is coming off a shoulder injury, was ranked 25th in the overall list.

His personal best in the event is 1:56.48, which he clocked last year to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

In the men's 800m freestyle event, Delhi swimmer Kushagra Rawat finished 23rd.

The 22-year-stopped the clock at 8:15.96 to finish fifth in his heat, failing to progress to the finals.

Kushagra had clocked the personal best of 8:08.32 in the 800m freestyle event last year during the Senior National Aquatic Championships.

The top eight swimmers move to the final in the event. 

Also Read : Swimmer Maana Patel registers Best Indian Time (women's 100m backstroke event)

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, May 30 (Swimming News) Indian Olympian Maana Patel set the 'Best Indian time' in the women's 100m backstroke event at the Canet leg of Mare Nostrum swimming meet in France.

The 22-year-old swimmer from Gujarat, who had competed at the Tokyo Olympics last year, clocked 01:03.69, improving her personal best on Sunday night, which was the final day of the competition.

The previous 'Best Indian time' of 01:03.77 in the event was also under Maana's name, which she had previously clocked in Belgrade last year.

At the meet, Maana qualified 15th overall to qualify for the 'B' final, where she finished with a timing of 01:03:87.

In swimming, a timing is considered a national record when it has been achieved at the National Aquatic Championships. Hence, the timings clocked in other meets are called the 'Best Indian time'. 

Also Read : KIUG: Olympian Nataraj wins 3 gold medals, Jain University dominate in pool

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Apr 28 (Swimming News) Olympian swimmer Srihari Nataraj on Thursday claimed three gold medals as hosts Jain University dominated the pool by winning as many as 14 yellow metals at the ongoing Khelo India University Games (KIUG) here.

Nataraj, representing Jain University, won the 100m freestyle, 50m backstroke and 4x200m freestyle relay, setting new KIUG records in all the events.

Nataraj won the 100m freestyle in 50.98 seconds, bettering the 53.01s set by Rudransh Mishra in the 2020 edition. The silver and bronze were bagged by Heer Shah (University of Mumbai) 52.78s and Adhithya Dinesh (Anna University) 52.79s respectively.

In the 50m backstroke, Nataraj clocked 26.10s. The silver and bronze went to Siva Sridhar (Jain University) 27.10s and Siddhant Sejwal (Panjab University) 27.69s.

Nataraj then teamed up with Sanjay Jayakrishnan, Siva Sridhar and Raj Relekar to clinch the 4x200m freestyle relay for Jain University with a new record timing of 8:06.87s. Savitribai Phule Pune University won the silver clocking 8:22.17s while University of Mumbai bagged the bronze with a timing of 8:28.57s.

The 100m backstroke event was won by Danush Suresh of Anna University (1:03.36s) while the silver and bronze went to Jay Ekbote of University of Mumbai (1:06.33s) and Kritayush Singh of Adamas University (1:07.16s).

Jain University's Siva Sridhar was the undoubted star in the pool, having won seven gold and two silver medals.

In archery, there was a deluge of upsets on the opening day. First to fall was Muskan Kirar of Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya in the compound women's singles. Kirar had topped the qualification round, but failed to get going, falling to the last place qualifier Sneh Rani of Guru Nanak Dev University 135-139. Rani was knocked out in the very next round by Punjabi University's Sujata.

Last year's silver medallist Raginee Markoo progressed steadily only to fall in the semi-finals herself. Kirar's teammate, Markoo lost to Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University's Madhura Dhamangaonkar 140-146.

The upsets rolled on in the men's compound event too as Punjabi University's top seed Kulwinder Singh lost to Shivaji University's Kunal Shinde 141-143 in the first round.

A total of 25 boxing medals (12 women, 13 men) were decided on Thursday.

In the women's competition 26 different universities won a medal, with 11 different universities winning gold in the 12 weight categories.

Five of the 11 are from Haryana. The men's event was no different with 11 universities dividing up the 13 categories (Lovely Professional University won three gold).

There will be 10 medals up for grabs on day six at the KIUG, six in judo and four in shooting. 

Also Read : KIUG 2022: Nataraj wins gold in 50m freestyle, Jain University soar to top of medal table

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Apr 25 (Swimming News) Tokyo Olympian swimmer Srihari Nataraj clinched a gold medal in the 50m freestyle, clocking 23.23 seconds, on day two of the Khelo India University Games here on Monday.

The 21-year-old Nataraj broke Mihir Ambre's meet record timing of 23.78 seconds from the previous edition as he produced his fastest time in an individual race in the event.

Nataraj's win added gloss to a dominant performance from hosts Jain University, which soared to the top of the medal table with the help of four golds in swimming.

The swimming events also saw five new KIUG records. At the end of second day, 17 universities had already won a gold and as many as 41 had marked their presence on the medal table.

With 10 medals up for grabs in swimming, the first went to Savitribai Phule Pune University's Shubham Dhaygude in the men's 400m freestyle.

Soon, it was time for Jain University to shine as Siva Sridhar not only won gold but also in the process set a new KIUG record time of 2:05.43 in the 200m Individual Medley. Sridhar repeated win-record double in the 100m backstroke later in the day.

In the day's final event in the pool, Shivaji University's Rujuta Khade broke yet another KIUG record in the women's 50m freestyle, with a time of 27.38.

She broke Sadhvi Dhuri's mark from Bhubaneshwar by nearly six-tenths of a second as Shivaji University sat in second place on the medal table with three gold, one silver and one bronze.

Punjabi University, the overall winners at the 2020 edition, won their first gold at this edition, via Ishneet Aulakh in the women's 25m individual pistol.

Aulakh and her team were beaten to silver in the team event by their state rivals Panjab University. Following Komal Kohar's win on Sunday, Maharshi Dayanand University logged another gold in women's weightlifting — Sneha winning the 59kg class.

Juturi Koteswara Rao registered Krishna University's first ever gold at the Games in the women's 73kg class. Rao had won silver in the women's 67kg at the last edition.

Earlier in the day, Bharathiar University scored a massive upset in the women's volleyball semifinals, toppling SRM University 3-0.

Bharathiar will face state rivals SRM University in the final on Tuesday.

There will be 22 medals up for grabs on day 3 with swimming, weightlifting and volleyball events lined up. 

Also Read : Danish Open: Vedaant Madhavan adds a shade of gold

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 18 (Cricket News) Continuing his splendid run, fast-rising Indian swimmer Vedaant Madhavan added a second medal to his kitty, a gold in the men's 800m freestyle at the Danish Open in Copenhagen.

The 16-year-old bettered his personal best time by a whopping 11:48 to stop the clock at 8:17.28, edging past local swimmer Alexander L Bjorn by 0.10 to stand atop the podium on Sunday night.

While Vedaant's performance was good enough to fetch him a gold at the meet, it is a long way from international standards. USA's Robert Finke had won the gold at the Tokyo Olympics in the event last year with a timing of 7:41.87, while the world record for the event stands at 7:32.12.

However, Vedaant, son of Indian actor R Madhavan, has shown immense improvement. He has bettered his personal best times in all three events he has participated in in the ongoing meet.

He had won the silver medal in the 1500m freestyle event on Friday before bettering his 200m freestyle time to finish 12th overall in the event.

Ace Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash finished fifth in the 'A' final of the men's 100m butterfly with a timing of 54.24, while Tanish George Mathew topped the 'C' final by stopping the clock at 56.44.

The top eight swimmers in the heats qualify for the 'A' final, the next eight for the 'B' followed by the 'C' final.

The 28-year-old Prakash, who is preparing for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, had won a gold in the 200m butterfly, his pet event, on the opening day.

In the women's event, Shakthi Balakrishnan finished 34 out of 42 swimmers with a time of 2:14.27 in 200m freestyle.

India now has a haul of three medals in the ongoing meet including two golds and a silver. 

Also Read : The Ministry of Sports has approved financial assistance to five Indian swimmers.

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 23 (Swimming News) The Sports Ministry has extended financial assistance to five Indian swimmers, including Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj, under its Target Olympic Podium (TOPS) and ACTC schemes to help them prepare and participate in various upcoming international competitions.

The assistance, granted under TOPS and Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) scheme, was approved by the ministry's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC).

The five swimmers who have been extended support are Olympians Sajan, Srihari and Maana Patel, besides young Kenisha Gupta.

While Sajan and Srihari are currently a part of the TOPS core group, Maana and Kenisha are from the TOPS development group.

Sajan, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics, has been cleared an amount of Rs 15.1 lakh (excluding pool fees and airfare), towards expenditure for training as well as participation in multiple competitions and camps. He will compete in the Danish Open in April before taking part in three Mare Nostrum events across Monaco, Barcelona and Canet in May. Sajan will then take part in a high altitude training camp at the Sierra Nevada training centre in Spain between June and July.

"We are focused towards achieving big at the Big Two meets. We have some qualifying meets in April, May and June before the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. These meets will act as preparatory competitions for us to know where we stand to peak at the right time," Sajan told SAI from his training base in Dubai.

Srihari, who also competed in Tokyo Olympics, has been approved an assistance of Rs 22.02 lakh towards expenditure on domestic training and participation in multiple competitions.

The financial support also includes expenses for his personal coach and physiotherapist.

Srihari will take part in the French Open Swimming Championships, starting March 31 and Mare Nostrum, scheduled for May 18 to 23.

Maana and Kenisha, meanwhile, have been sanctioned Rs 3.89 lakh each for their participation in the French Open Swimming Championships, which also acts as a qualification event for the World Championships in Budapest in June. 

Also Read : Trupti Chordiya hopes to represent India at the Paralympics 2024

News Source : PTI

Determination, relentlessness and a pursuit for perfection. These are the few qualities that describe Indian Para Swimmer Trupti Chordiya. Despite her disabilities, she has proven time and again that nothing is impossible and is setting her sights on the ultimate prize: Paralympics 2024.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Trupti speaks about her journey as a Para Swimmer, dealing with pressure, the influence of her coach Harshad Inamdar and her plans for the future.

Q1) Can you take us through your journey of becoming a professional Para swimmer?

I had to undergo an operation at KEM Hospital, Mumbai when I was a year old. The doctors extracted some parts of the tumor but couldn't remove it completely due to high risk as the part where the tumor was situated was sensitive. After the operation the blood circulation improved which helped in my posture and I could sit and walk with support. The doctor advised me to start swimming for body flexibility, normal blood circulation and fitness. I learnt swimming by the time I was four. Since then I have been swimming every day for an hour. The sport has helped my upper body gain strength.

At the age of 14, I was again operated at Jaslok Hospital as the tumor seemed to have grown and it affected my legs. The surgery could not improve the condition as they couldn’t remove the tumor as a result my lower body became weak and insensitive. Even though it did not change me, I accepted how I was and moved on with life.

Q2) How has the experience of the State Paralympic championship 2018 at Kalyan and how has it helped you evolve as a better swimmer?

The 2018 State Paralympic championships at Kalyan, Mumbai was the first time that I was participating in a Para Swimming competition. It was a great learning experience and winning the medals in Breaststroke, Freestyle and Backstroke made me believe in myself.

Q3) How has your coach Harshad Inamdar helped in finding your strengths and weaknesses?

He keeps an eye on my form and performance during the coaching sessions. He is spending a lot of time making sure I get all the three strokes right and his dedication has had an everlasting impact in my career. He understands my physical incapabilities and gives me advice accordingly. He believes I can make it big in the upcoming events and also the Paralympics; he has been a great mentor and hopefully one day I shall fulfill his dream.

Also read: We want Kolkata Thunderbolts to lift the trophy - Vineet Bhandari

Q4) How do you prepare yourself, physically as well as mentally before the big competitions?

I have daily practice sessions along with a specific diet. After working on sessions, I make sure to get good rest especially before competitions. I prepare myself by keeping my target in mind that is to participate in the Paralympics. The mental picture boosts me up whenever I am under pressure. My family as well as my fellow athletes keep supporting me as it helps me deal with the tough times.



Q5) How do you plan to motivate other physically challenged individuals who are looking forward to following their passion and achieving their dreams?

My message to my other physically challenged athletes is to accept your incapabilities and love yourself. Mental along with physical fitness can do wonders in bringing in confidence. Playing a sport has helped me overcome my personal hurdles, so we have to focus our energy in following the passion and should not deter us from getting what we want. We should also be engaged in activities to keep ourselves busy. I have gained a lot of motivation in the past years although it was tough in the beginning. Gradually the process helped me to reach where I am today. Life is beautiful, live it to the fullest.

Q6) What are your future goals and how do you intend to achieve them?

I wish to represent the country at the Paralympics and am working towards it step by step. One of my future goals is to become a coach and guide youngsters who are physically challenged.

Abu Dhabi, Dec 20 (Swimming News) Star Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj continued his record-breaking spree at the FINA short course World Championships here on Monday, registering his third 'Best Indian time' in the tournament.

The 20-year-old clocked 48.65s in the men's 100m freestyle event to better Sajan Prakash's best Indian performance. However, the timing wasn't enough to take the Bengaluru swimmer to the semifinals as he finished 38th in the overall heats and only the top 16 swimmers move forward.

Nataraj, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics after becoming the second Indian swimmer after Prakash to breach the 'A' qualifying time for the Olympics, had lodged 'Best Indian times' in the 50m and 100m backstroke events last week.

Delhi's Kushagra Rawat clocked 15:07.86s in the men's 1500m freestyle to finish 21st in the overall heats.

The timings clocked and records in this meet, which is being contested in a 25m swimming pool, are different from the more traditional long course ones.

A short course meet is contested in 25-metre pools, while the 50-metres pools are called long courses.

In swimming, a timing is considered a national record when it has been achieved at the National Aquatic Championships.

Hence, the timings clocked in other meets are called the 'Best Indian time'. 

Also Read : Srihari Nataraj registers Best Indian performance in swimming World C’ships

News Source : PTI

Abu Dhabi, Dec 18 (Swimming News) Ace Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj set 'Best Indian time' at the FINA short course World Championship but that was not enough to take him to the semifinals of the 50m backstroke event here on Saturday.

The 20-year-old clocked 24.40s in the men’s 50m backstroke event to finish 26th in the overall heats.

However, Nataraj, who competed at the Tokyo Games after becoming the second Indian swimmer after Sajan Prakash to breach the 'A' qualifying time for the Olympics, was unable to progress to the semifinals where the top 16 swimmers compete.

This is Nataraj's second 'Best Indian time' at the meet, the Bengaluru swimmer had bettered his own record in the 100m backstroke event on the opening day.

The timings clocked and records in this meet, which is being contested in a 25m swimming pool, are different from the more traditional long course ones.

A short course meet is contested in 25-metre pools, while the 50-metres pools are called long courses.

In swimming, a timing is considered a national record when it has been achieved at the National Aquatic Championships.

Hence, the timings clocked in other meets are called the 'Best Indian time'. 

Also Read : Participating at the National Aquatics Championship was an exhilarating experience - Indian swimmer Apeksha Fernandes

News Source : PTI

Apeksha Fernandes is undoubtedly one of India’s brightest talents in swimming, the 16 year old recently took part in the Junior and Senior National Aquatic Championship, breaking many national records and winning a number of medals, including the Best Swimmer Individual Championship Trophy in the women's category.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Apeksha Fernandes speaks about her experience at the tournament, being awarded the best swimmer, her most special accomplishment, missing out on the national record in 100m butterfly, improving on her techniques and future goals.

Q 1) How was the experience of participating and winning medals at the Junior and Senior National Aquatics Championship?

It was exhilarating, especially because it was the first time I raced after the lockdown and having the adrenaline keeping you at an all time high was something I really missed. Since Mumbai was under lockdown for the better part of the year, I only got around three weeks to train for the meet, and coming back home with eleven medals and bagging the championship trophies of both the meets was nothing short of euphoric. Although I was exhausted after having raced both Junior and Senior Nationals within the span of two weeks, I would give anything to race the meet all over again

Q 2) You won the best swimmer individual championship trophy in the women’s category, how proud are you of that achievement?

In 2019, I missed a national record by one-hundredth of a second because of which I couldn’t win the championship. Racing with the established seniors was memorable; so, this year’s win was very satisfactory.

Q 3) You medaled in a number of races, which accomplishment was the most special for you and why?

Although I won a silver in both, the 100 fly and 50 breaststroke would be a tie for this one. At the Junior Nationals, my competitor and I fought to the very end for the gold in the 100 fly, and in the process pushed each other to get below the best Indian time for women and better our times. The 50 breaststroke at the Senior Nationals was probably the most exciting race I’ve swum this season because I usually don’t take the sprint races and racing against my senior who holds the best Indian time for the same event and narrowly coming second was a great experience. These were the most memorable races of the two meets

Also read: Fitness is the key to increasing confidence level in every sports person: Sifu Naeem Ansari, Founder and President - SMBP Commandos

Q 4) You narrowly missed out on the national record for the 100 meters butterfly, is there something that made you feel you could have done better?

After reviewing the races a couple of times, I think I’d really have to work on the technical aspect of my strokes, turns and finishes.

Q 5) What are aspects of swimming that you still feel you can improve on and how are you working towards it?

I have to make a few changes in my butterfly and breaststroke where my technique is concerned. Apart from that, I also have to work on quicker turns and finishes and longer leaps for my dive.

Q 6) Which championships are you aiming to participate at in the foreseeable future? Do you expect similar amounts of success in them?

I wish to make the team for the Asian Games taking place in 2022, for which I will give my all and hope for the best.