After promising performances at CWG, Indian swimmers aim for medals at Asian Games

There are no medals to show for the Indian swimmers from the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. Medals, historically, have been a long shot for swimmers from India in major international events. So, returning empty-handed from Down Under is not exactly a surprise.

But the performances in Australia have raised the Indian swimming squad’s hopes of winning a few medals in their next major multinational meet: the Asian Games in August-September.

Virdhawal Khade, 26, the oldest member of the contingent, had a mediocre campaign. He couldn’t come close to his best timings in the two events – 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly – he participated. But Sajan Prakash, 24, and Srihari Nataraj, 18, swam some of their best times, with the latter qualifying for two finals.

For Sajan, who has represented India at the Rio Olympics, the men’s 200m butterfly event was memorable. He finished eighth in the final with his second-best timing. But three hours before the final, he didn’t know he was going to compete in it.

“I got my best time in a morning swim. And morning, if you ask any swimmer, they’ll say it’s not the ideal time to race,” he told The Field. But Sajan finished the heats with his best ever time in the event.

“But I was seeded ninth and I thought I wasn’t going to be in the final. And, then at around 4:30 in the evening, my coach told me I was in the final. That was a surprise.”

He regrets a little that he couldn’t beat the timing of his heats, but he’s happy about his campaign, overall.

This was Sajan’s second Commonwealth Games. At Glasgow, four years earlier he couldn’t make the final in any of the events he participated. Experience, Sajan said, helped him at Gold Coast.

“I think I was more mature on a lot of aspects in these Games. The way I trained, for instance. I knew what I must be doing, what I mustn’t be doing. So, that way, there was something for me to take away from it.”

Srihari does well on debut

It was the same for young Srihari Nataraj, India’s teenage sensation, who’s getting better and quicker at every major tournament.

At the Senior Nationals in 2017 he won the backstroke events – 50m, 100m and 200m – in record times, and was adjudged the best swimmer. At the Khelo India Games, earlier this year, he won six golds and a silver medal. So, he was expected to do well at his Commonwealth Games debut.

And, he did. Bettering the National Record three different times is no mean achievement.

Except in the 200m backstroke, he swam his fastest times in the events that he participated. That he’s still a teenager and can swim quicker, makes him a medal prospect for the upcoming Asian Games.

Speaking to The Field from the Ramakrishna Hegde Swimming Pool in Bengaluru – where he trains – he didn’t seem fussy about his results.

“It was good,” he replied when asked to describe his experience at the Games. Not that Srihari undermines the quadrennial event, it’s just that he didn’t let the occasion overwhelm him.

“I don’t want to think of it as a big event and then mess up my performance. So, I’ll see it as a national meet that I am regular to. Forget about others, swim as fast as I can and let’s see how it goes,” he’d told The Field before heading to the Games.

But did he feel nervous about representing the country at a big stage? “No,” he said. “Maybe I could’ve done a little better in the 200m, but otherwise I am happy with my performances.”

Next up for Srihari is the Karnataka State meet and the junior national championship in May-June. He’s set to dominate those events. He’s already the nation’s best in some events. But Srihari’s ambitions are of being the best in the world.

His long term goals: participation at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and winning multiple medals at the 2024 Games in Paris.

“And, definitely, I am looking to win a medal at the Asian Games,” he said.

That will perhaps be the first of the many major successes for Srihari at the international level.

Virdhawal moves on after an ordinary show

Virdhawal, like Srihari, was a teenage prodigy. He was the youngest Indian swimmer, at 16, to qualify for the 2008 Olympics. At 18, he won the 50m butterfly bronze medal at the Asian Games. But injury and a hectic work-life hampered his swimming career.

He’s 28 and doesn’t have a lot of years left in him. So, for him, to not better his fastest times and not able to qualify for the finals in any of the events he participated in was disappointing.

He couldn’t better his fastest time in both the events – 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly – he participated in.

The six to seven month break, Virdhawal feels, has ruined his consistency, so the fluctuations in his performances is to be expected. With more time and training, that should change, he said.

“Personally, it wasn’t the best competition I’ve been to. I was certainly expecting myself to swim better than what I did. Nobody prepares to fail,” he told The Field. “But if I keep improving, keep trying harder, I can do well in the forthcoming tournaments, especially, the Asian Games.”

Virdhawal’s preparing for a meet at Singapore in June. After that, he’ll look to do well at the trials for the Asian Games.

Sajan and Srihari’s performances at the Games, he said, augurs well for Indian swimming. “They have been improving consistently. And, it’s a good thing at this age they are improving this quick. And so, we can expect a lot more this year.”