Maana will compete in the women's 100m backstroke event while Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj will take part in the 200m butterfly and 100m backstroke races.
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Young athlete, Maana Patel has written history as she becomes the first woman from India to qualify for Tokyo Olympics. She achieved this feat by qualifying for the ‘Universality quota’.
The Universality quota allows one male and one female athlete to compete in the Games. This is only when no other swimmer from the same gender qualifies or receives a FINA invite based on their B time.
Maana Patel, 21, will join Sajan Prakash and Srihari Natarajan in India’s swimming squad for Tokyo Olympics. The Games will take place from July 23 to August 8.
Maana will compete in the women’s 100m backstroke event while Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj will take part in the 200m butterfly and 100m backstroke races respectively after both breached the Olympic A mark.
“It’s an amazing feeling. I have heard about the Olympics from fellow swimmers and watched it on the television and seen a lot of pictures,” the swimmer told Olympics.com.
“But to be there this time, competing with the best in the world, just gives me goosebumps,” she added.
The 21-year-old sustained an ankle injury in 2019 and only made a comeback earlier this year.
“It was a tough year to come back after the injury,” Maana admitted.
“Though the pandemic and the lockdown was a blessing in disguise as it helped me recuperate well, but then later the frustration crept in. I am not used to staying away from the water for this long,” she said.
Sajan Prakash sealed the ‘A’ cut for Tokyo Olympics in men’s 200m butterfly. Now, Srihari Nataraj breached the A standard time for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Srihari Nataraj clocked 53.77s in the men’s 100m backstroke at the Sette Colli Trophy. Sajan Prakash qualified for the upcoming Olympics as he clocked 1:56:38 in men’s 200m butterfly at the Sette Colli Trophy. The qualification time was set at 1:56:48.
