Ahmedabad, June 8: A three-member Indian swimming team, including Srihari Nataraj, will leave for Serbia on Tuesday night to compete in the Belgrade Trophy, a FINA-accredited Olympic qualifying event. The event is scheduled to be on June 19 and 20.
Sajan Prakash is presently training in Dubai and is expected to join the team in Belgrade by June 12. Apart from Olympic ‘B’ qualifying mark achievers Nataraj and Prakash, who are hoping to make the A qualification mark, the team comprises seasoned back stroker Maana Patel, who recently returned to form at an international meet in Uzbekistan.
There will be youngsters Aryan Nehra, Shoan Ganguli, Tanish Mathew and Kenisha Gupta who are part of the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) group and have been showing great promise. They will be accompanied by seasoned coaches Nihar Ameen and Pradeep Kumar. In April this year, the Indian swimmers had participated in the Uzbekistan Open, which was their first international meet since the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020.
“The Indian swimmers, particularly Srihari Nataraj, had done exceedingly well in the Uzbekistan Open and got closer to the A qualifying time in the 100m backstroke event,” said Swimming Federation of India (SFI) executive director Virender Nanavati.
Of the six Indian swimmers who have clocked the B qualifying time so far, three of them are currently training in the USA.
Squad for Belgrade Trophy: Srihari Nataraj (50m & 100m Backstroke), Sajan Prakash (100 & 200m Butterfly, 200m Freestyle), Maana Patel (100m Backstroke), Kenisha Gupta (50m & 100m Freestyle), Tanish Mathew (100m,200m Butterfly,200 Free), Aryan Nehra (200m,400m,1500m Freestyle), Shoan Ganguli ( 200m,400m Individual Medley, 100,200m Butterfly)
Squad for Setti Colli Trophy in Rome: Srihari Nataraj (50m & 100m Backstroke), Sajan Prakash (100 & 200m Butterfly, 200m Freestyle), Maana Patel (100m Backstroke), Kenisha Gupta (50m & 100m Freestyle), Tanish Mathew (200m Freestyle, 200m Butterfly). (PTI)
