Srihari Nataraj: India’s ace swimmer

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While failing to bag a medal at this year’s CWG, Srihari Nataraj successfully qualified for the intensely competitive finals of the 50 and 100m men’s backstroke event, and closely missed the finals of the 200m backstroke event, even after clocking a time higher than the national record in the heats. Moreover, his personal best of 53.77 seconds at the 58^th International Trophy, is faster than the gold medal winning performance at the CWG 100m final, something that he regrets.

The passionate swimmer had hoped to win a medal at the CWG and drawn a lesson from every training session. But the inability to perform to his potential at the final has not deterred the swimmer, who while disheartened, has decided to focus on his strengths and the journey ahead. Adept at consistently fast starts, the ace swimmer has been increasing and streamlining his training, tomaximize performance at tournaments. Moreover, Srihari’s mantra is self-belief, and the conviction that he cannot be outswum.

Surprisingly, the young swimmer’s introduction to the sport happened due to his parents, and not of his own accord, at the age of 2 when he was enrolled with his brother. Swimming has remained his first love since then, and the pool his motivation and source of comfort. Through the demise of his father, and challenges faced during his school years, swimming has been Srihari’s constant companion and helped him cope. The passionate and motivated swimmer is also grateful for the resources provided by the government, Federation, private organizations, and the media, and hopes to make his country proud soon.