Asian Games 2023 | Srihari Nataraj: 'I’ve never been this fast, never felt this strong'

Bangalorean Srihari Nataraj qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, and has previously represented India at the 2018 Asian Games, 2019 World Aquatics Championships and the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games.

While away from the pool and his busy training schedule, Srihari Nataraj has always enjoyed a game of cricket. What he relishes most is having a crack at bowling pace. As he comes charging in, his intent is always to set panic among batsmen with a blistering delivery directed at the toes or perhaps launching a bouncer to leave them unsettled.

These days, there’s little time for cricket. But each time he steps out on the starting block for a race, it’s the same intent, as he tries to unnerve the competition through his body language.

Swimming became a priority for Srihari at the age of 16, once he started doing well at the senior level. Since then, the towering swimmer has gathered the experience of competing at the Olympics, the World Aquatics Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. He has rewritten multiple national records, the latest coming at the World University Games in Chengdu, China, last month, where he equalled the mark for the 200 metre freestyle.

This month, he’ll be off to his second Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. And Srihari is still only 22.

“At the last edition of the Asian Games in 2018, I was just there to do my best, not knowing what I could expect or how I was going to perform. An immature racer, as they call it in swimming terms. Learning how to approach and execute the race perfectly were just some of the things that I was just beginning to learn to do at a high level. Any result was satisfactory,” Srihari says.

But the intent in the long run was always to be among the best. At the Commonwealth Games last year, he finished fifth in the 50m backstroke and seventh in the 100m backstroke final, narrowly missing out on a medal in both events.

“Making the final of a couple of events and losing out on the podium was not very fun. In fact, my personal best in the 100m backstroke would have won gold. But I gave it my best and that’s what matters. There were so many things that worked out for me that I chose to look at the positives in order to make them even better. And continue building on the rest,” he says.

Srihari has been a work-in-progress ever since. He’s continued refining his technique under coach Nihar Ameen, focused on the tiny details, and worked on executing races better at various meets in India and around the world. The confidence and belief that he exudes these days is a result of simply showing up at the pool each day and training at a level where he knows he can get the job done the next time he’s racing.

What has also helped him is observing his mate, Virdhawal Khade, an Olympian and an Asian Games 2010 bronze medallist. At camp in Bengaluru ahead of the 2023 Asian Games, the two were roommates, exchanging notes and jokes alike.

“I’ve known Virdhawal since 2005 and have seen him do things in training, which I haven’t seen any other swimmer in the country do. So the goal has always been to do some of the same sets that he did during his prime, and try to do it better than him,” he says.

“At camp these days, we have the best swimmers in the country, so there’s a lot of different workouts that I’m taking on. I’ve been training really well,” Srihari says.

His pet events will be the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke and the 200m freestyle, besides a few relay events. This will be a different Srihari, from the 17-year-old, who simply showed up the last time around. And with his experience, he’s now one of the more senior swimmers on the squad.

“The entire year I’ve been working on approaching the whole race as one. There’s a plan in place, as are goals. And the entire process is a lot more streamlined. What I feel hasn’t changed is the desire to still race fast. And that’s the vintage Hari I know - put me on the block for a race and I get the results. It’s time to do just that again,” he says.

Though there are expectations after what he’s achieved over the last few years, they don’t translate to a burden anymore. It’s just something that he’s learned to embrace as part of what he does.

“When has the pressure not been on me? I enjoy these kinds of situations now and I thrive on them. In my head, it’s clear that if there’s anyone who can get the job done, that person is me. Because I’m the best shot that you have,” he says.

“I’ve never been this fast, never felt this strong. And I’m quite confident of coming back with a couple of medals. Every single thing I’ve done since the last Asian Games has led up to this moment. I’ve always felt that sustained greatness beats greatness over a short period of time. There’s a lot left for me to do,” he says.

During his time off from the training schedules, Srihari escapes to the world of movies. On his wish list these days is the Rajnikanth starrer, Jailer. But the lines from a boxing flick that he recently saw have stayed with him.

“It’s the final round of a match and the trainer tells the boxer - all this time you’ve been boxing; it’s now time to start fighting. And it got me thinking that I’ve been swimming all this while in the run-up to the Asian Games. It’s now time to start racing,” he says.