Sajan Prakash, Srihari Nataraj part of Indian swimming team for Olympic qualifying events in Serbia and Rome

A three-member Indian swimming team that includes Srihari Nataraj will leave for Serbia to compete in the 2021 Belgrade Trophy. The event, scheduled for June 19-20, is a FINA-accredited Olympic qualifying competition.

Sajan Prakash, who is presently training in Dubai, will also join the Indian swimming team in Belgrade by June 12.

Apart from Olympic 'B' qualifiers Srihari Nataraj and Sajan Prakash, who are hoping to make 'A' qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, the team comprises seasoned back-stroker Maana Patel along with youngsters Aryan Nehra, Shoan Ganguli, Tanish Mathew and Kenisha Gupta.

Read: India's Sajan Prakash targets second consecutive Olympics appearance

The youngsters are part of the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) group.

Indian swimming team hope to make their mark

The Indian swimming team, sans Nehra and Ganguli (who did not meet the qualification times), will travel to Rome, Italy on June 23 to take part in the annual Sette Colli Trophy, which is also a FINA-accredited Olympic qualifying event. It will be held from June 25-27.

The Indian swimming team will be accompanied by seasoned coaches Nihar Ameen and Pradeep Kumar.

Swimming Federation of India (SFI) Executive Director Virender Nanavati believes the team is shaping up well.

"The Indian swimmers, particularly Srihari Nataraj, did exceedingly well in the Uzbekistan Open and got closer to the 'A' qualifying time in the 100m backstroke, while Sajan Parkash, Kenisha Gupta and Maana Patel posted impressive performances in their respective events," he said. "They are shaping up really well and we are hopeful that they will be able to achieve the qualifying mark before the cutoff date."

SFI Secretary General Monal Chokshi emphasized that the competition in Belgrade and Rome will not only be a great opportunity for the Olympic hopefuls to qualify, but will also provide good exposure for the Indian swimming team preparing for the forthcoming Asian Games in 2022.

"Upon their arrival in Belgrade, the Indian swimmers will be stationed at the Serbian National Swim Team training facility," Chokshi said. "This will provide great exposure for our Indian swimming team ahead of the two qualifying meets. The squad is in good form and we expect them to swim faster than what they did in Uzbekistan in April.

India's Srihari Nataraj

"Both Sajan and Srihari, who have broken the 'B' qualification in their early season meets, are confident of swimming much faster in Belgrade and Rome. Of the six Indian swimmers who have clocked the 'B' qualifying time so far, three of them are currently training in the USA. SFI is hopeful that one or more of our swimmers will achieve the A cut for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020," added Chokshi.

Indian Swimming Team

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, 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)