Khelo India School Games: Srihari Nataraj claims six gold medals in swimming

Srihari Nataraj continued his brilliant run of form at the Khelo India School Games as he took his medal tally to seven on Monday.

Karnataka’s Srihari Nataraj stamped his potential by claiming a rich haul of six gold and one silver in the Khelo India School Games swimming competition at the SPM Swimming Complex in New Delhi on Monday.

Srihari Nataraj is focused on Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and the Asian Games in Jakarta after his impressive show at the Khelo India School Games. (HT Photo)

The Bangalore swimmer, however, is focused on chipping away at his timings to be in contention for the April Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and the Asian Games in Jakarta.

READ | Khelo India Games: Haryana rule in wrestling, clinch 24 medals

In the 200m backstroke, the focus of Nataraj and his coach AC Jairaj is to shave off around four seconds to be in contention for a spot in the final of the event in Gold Coast. “I am happy he clocked a good time (56.80 secs) in the 100m backstroke despite having to alter his start due to a slippery pad,” Jairaj said.

“We included Khelo India as part of Hari’s training ahead of the CWG. The times he has clocked here are really training times rather than what we expect him to clock in competition,” added Jairaj, who trains him at Bangalore’s Global Swim Centre.

Few Indian swimmers have made a mark at international level, but the coach said: “I think it will help if Indian coaches who have worked with swimmers over a number of years accompany them during their training stints abroad.

“Hari is a special talent but he needs to add some muscle to his frame and improve his left-hand entry to lower his times. The good thing is he is very focused and wants to win each time he dives into the pool.”