Swimmer Siva Sridhar wins two golds at Khelo India University Games 2021, eyes Asian Games spot

Siva Sridhar, representing hosts Jain University, put up a sublime show to win a gold medal in the 200 m individual medley after registering a new meet record by clocking in 2:05.43s at the ongoing Khelo India University Games 2021 (KIUG) on Monday (April 25).

Sridhar, who will be competing in 50 m,100 m, 200 m backstroke, 200 m, 400 m IM, 100 m butterfly and 100 m breaststroke events at the KIUG, is aiming at winning maximum medals for his university. Speaking about the representing Jain University, Siva Sridhar said:

"Surely, there is pressure on the swim team to win maximum medals but the university has backed us tremendously to help us pursue our degree by providing scholarships based on performance. So the onus is on us now to do well."

Hailing from a middle-class background, Sridhar also spoke about the hardships his family has endured and how it is affecting him in the sport he is pursuing. He explained:

"With no earning member in the family after my father suffered a stroke last year and subsequently retired from his job, it has been tough to keep up with my ambitions in swimming because it is a financially demanding sport. But I have received substantial support from my training centre Basavangudi Aquatic Centre."

"They take care of my training, strength and conditioning costs while Jain University has given me scholarships to pursue MBA. Honestly, it is very hard to survive in a sport like swimming and pursue a master's if you can't get this kind of support."

Swimmer Siva Sridhar eyes 2022 Asian Games qualification

Following his gold medal-winning performance at the Khelo India University Games, Siva Sridhar now intends to make the 2022 Asian Games cut in the 100 m backstrokes category.

He swept up another gold medal in the 100 m backstroke event by clocking 57.38s at the ongoing KIUG Games. Sridhar also shattered the record of 58.69s registered by Siddhant Sejawal in the first edition of KIUG.

Siva, whose personal best timing is 57.6s, needs to better his performance to get past the 55.8s barrier to qualify for the mega-event. The 2022 Asian Games are slated to take place in Hangzhou, China between September 10 and 25, 2022.

Speaking about the same, Siva said:

"My personal best is 57.6 and I really want to represent India in the 100m backstroke, along with Srihari Nataraj, who has already qualified. This is my target for the year. Today's performance has given me the confidence to work on the 200 IM event as well and I will look to make the cut (2:02.09 is the A qualifying time) in this event too for the Asian Games."