Srihari Nataraj hopes to fine tune performance for Commonwealth Games and Asian Games at Khelo India University Games

Tokyo Olympic swimmer Srihari Nataraj hopes the Khelo India University Games will help him fine tune his performance for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2022 Asian Games.

The last competition Srihari Nataraj participated in was the French Elite National Swimming Championships in Limoges, France, where he clocked 55.28 seconds to win the men's 100 m backstroke 'B' final.

The Indian swimmer clocked 55.88 seconds in the preliminary round and finished in the top 10 of the 46-swimmer field. He, however, couldn't make the cut for the 'A' final. Srihari Nataraj then shaved 0.60 seconds off in the heats to win the 'B' final.

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Representing hosts Jain University at the upcoming Khelo India University Games, Srihari said the next few months would be exciting for him.

"The next few months leading up to the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games will be quite exciting for me as I plan to race in different meets each month and the Khelo India University Games is one of them. Swimming good races without tapering in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games will help me analyze where I stand in my preparations."

Srihari Nataraj geared up for tough competition at Khelo India University Games

Srihari said he will be competing in sprint events at the Khelo India University Games and said he is looking forward to the relays.

"I will be swimming some sprint events which include 50 m backstroke, 50 m breaststroke, 50 m freestyle, and 100 m freestyle, apart from relay events. I think racing against Anna University's Adithya Dinesh will be quite accelerating, especially in the 50 m freestyle event. We both train together and we almost clock the same time (23 seconds). I expect the relays to be game changers in the swimming discipline at the KIUG 2021 with universities sending their top swimmers," he added.

Speaking about his recent performances at the French Elite National Swimming Championships, Srihari said there were important takeaways from the meet.

"I was racing for the first time since the Senior Nationals last October. Although I didn't swim my best times in the 100m backstroke, I did well in the 200m backstroke, clocking 2:03.27 and missing out on a medal in the 50m backstroke by 0.2 fractions of a second. I was not tapered for that meet and might start tapering just before CWG. After Khelo India Games, I will race in Monaco next month," he said.