Three swimmers to train in Dubai

After nearly five months away from the pool, India's three Olympic hopefuls received welcome news on Independence Day when Sports Authority of India (SAI) confirmed that Virdhawal Khade, Srihari Nataraj, and Kushagra Rawat would resume their training early next month in Dubai.

The three Indian swimmers will train at Dubai's Aqua Nation Swimming Academy for two months, where S Pradeep Kumar - a Dronacharya Awardee - is currently coaching.

In addition to the three swimmers, coach AC Jayaraj - who trains Srihari - will also be part of the training camp in Dubai which will cost SAI around Rs 35 lakh. All four are expected to get their official communication early next week.

Khade (50m freestyle), Nataraj (100m backstroke), and Rawat (400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle ) have all clocked the 'B' qualification mark for the Olympics.

"We knew this was in the works two weeks ago but got approved today," Srihari told DH. "I've lost five months of swimming and to get to the level that I was before, it will take a month or two. In a month, I think I should be able to go 56 (seconds) in 100 backstroke, my best is 54.69. Again it depends on what the focus is during training. I hope all the other swimmers and upcoming swimmers can get back into training. I would like to thank SAI and SFI for all their support."

Srihari needs 53.85 to make the A qualification mark in 100m backstroke.

The Indian swimmers have not been in the pool since the lockdown in March as the pools are yet to be given permission to open due to the pandemic. And with the qualification duration extended to June 29th of 2021, it was imperative for the swimmers to get back to action.

Besides the three, the other swimmers with B qualification time - Sajan Prakash, Aryan Makhija, and Advait Page - have all resumed training in Thailand and the United States respectively.

Meanwhile, Rawat is looking forward to getting back into the competition.

"I think the next meet would probably be end of the year or next year. You can do competition just to get back to the groove and see where you are but at the moment I've not decided what to do. The confidence is the same but motivation is more because I know I will have to work harder after this break," he said.

For Khade, however, there might be some complications according to sources. The 28-year-old, who had contemplated retirement earlier due to the situation the swimmers were in, is posted with the collector’s office in Maharashtra government as tahsildar and has been actively involved in his work during this period. How quickly can he take leave from his work is the main source of confusion.