Srihari Nataraj sharpens Asian Games focus

BENGALURU: As the Asian Games loom large on the calendar, Olympian Srihari Nataraj appears to have entered a phase defined less by promise and more by precision. At 24, the Karnataka swimmer is streamlining his season, sharpening his training and leaning into a clearer sense of self — a sign of an athlete transitioning from contender to calculated performer. Srihari underlined how the previous season has become a crucial reference point for the year ahead.The 2025 season represented a strategic reset.By choosing the World University Games over the Asian Championships as his focus meet, Srihari recalibrated not just his competitive calendar but also his technical priorities.The decision saw him narrow his racing portfolio, leaning more into freestyle while treating backstroke — his primary strength — as a work in progress rather than an end goal. That calculated gamble delivered both results and reassurance. “It was something new for me. I switched events, changed the way I trained and even altered my focus meets. Usually, the Asian Championships would be the main target, but last year it was the University Games. Overall, it was a very good year,” Srihari told TOI earelier this week. More importantly, the experiment provided data — physical, technical and psychological — that helps in the Asian Games build-up.For 2026, the emphasis is on continuity rather than correction.“I’ll go back to my backstroke events. I’ll still compete in freestyle races, but backstroke will be my focus. I want to train the same way I did in 2025, with some minor changes. We now have added support in biomechanical and race analysis, and that plays a big role,” he said. “I’m a big believer in being fast in training, so I do that every single day.”Beyond personal preparation, Srihari offered a candid assessment of Indian swimming’s broader challenge — the inability to sustain talent over the long term.“I’ll be 25 during the Games. I feel old! But I train and swim fast regularly, which helps me handle multiple events in a day. At the Asian Championships, I swam five races in a day. Most junior swimmers, or even those my age, wouldn’t be able to compete the next day,” he explained.