Olympics 2024: From Exhaustion to Exuberance – Swimmer Srihari Nataraj Eyes Semifinals in Paris

In New Delhi, standing on the podium of the 2023 National Games adorned with 10 medals, eight of them gold, ace Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj was utterly exhausted. Competing non-stop at major events since 2017, when he was just 16, the relentless grind of competition and the rigorous training regimen had finally taken a toll on his body.¹

“I just needed time off to rest because my 2023 season was crazy and so hectic with so many races,” Nataraj told PTI in an interview. “And it could have led to an injury or I would have lost the drive to train. My body was under so much stress. I kind of just needed a few weeks off just to let my body rest.”

“I just needed time off to rest because my 2023 season was crazy and so hectic with so many races,” Nataraj told PTI in an interview. “And it could have led to an injury or I would have lost the drive to train. My body was under so much stress. I kind of just needed a few weeks off just to let my body rest.”

Refreshed after the much-needed break, the 23-year-old Srihari Nataraj is ready for his second Olympics. He will be competing in the 100m backstroke event in Paris. Nataraj qualified for the Games through the Universality Quota, which allows countries to recommend their two highest-ranked swimmers if they do not qualify through the regular process.

Having secured direct qualification for the previous Tokyo Olympics, entering the Paris Games through the Universality Quota was not ideal, by Nataraj’s own admission. However, he has chosen not to dwell on the disappointment.

“It was annoying and disappointing that I didn’t get the qualifying time because I had been training really well,” he asserted. “But I’m not really bothered about what happened. I got the quota spot. It might be a step back, but I still got the spot. And now I can spend the coming weeks either thinking ‘oh, this is not the way I wanted it’, or I can focus on what I want to do in Paris. So, I’m taking it as motivation.” Since returning from the break, Nataraj has been training better, which resulted in two silver medals at the Mare Nostrum meet in Spain and France in May.

“This season, the training’s been so much better than last season. It’s so good. I think it’s all because of that break,” he said. There have been occasions when Nataraj came agonizingly close to a podium finish but missed out by a fraction of a second. At other times, his best performances didn’t align with the critical moments.

“I think it just hasn’t clicked on race day yet,” Nataraj conceded. Despite his efforts, he hasn’t managed to improve his best time in the 100m backstroke since 2021, when he clocked 53.77 seconds. However, he and his coach Nihar Ameen have pinpointed where the Bengaluru swimmer has been lacking. “I think it’s just race execution. I am working on having a little more speed—front-end speed and a little more natural speed so that I don’t have to put in as much effort on the first 50,” he explained.

He has been able to improve his first 50m and claims to have gone “the fastest I’ve ever been” in training. “We’re doing a lot more high-intensity explosive short sprints. And we’re just hoping that it converts in time and I can open the first 50 a little more effortlessly. I’ve always had good capacity in the second 50m,” Nataraj explained. With a season’s best of 54.68 seconds, he aims to better his personal best time, which would put him in contention for the semifinals at the Paris Games. “I just have a goal towards trying to get a personal best. And I think if I make a personal best, it puts me in a good spot to be in the semifinals.”