Srihari Nataraj: A career built to last

Srihari Nataraj touched the wall in 25.52 seconds in the men’s 50m backstroke at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, finishing tenth, in the finals. For a swimmer who has spent more than two decades in the water, it was yet another result measured in fractions.

A veteran’s third Asian Games

Nataraj arrived in Japan for his third consecutive Asian Games, with the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics already behind him. Few Indian swimmers carry that much big-meet experience.

Ahead of the Games, he spoke to The Bridge about what that experience demands. He described double-session training days, daily pool and gym work, and the small technical gains in stroke efficiency, flip turns and underwater kicks that decide races. He spoke candidly about the pressure of international competition and how he has moved from eager youngster to senior figure in Indian swimming.

Recovery, sleep and a tailored diet, he said, are what keep a body going after 23 years of training. Hydration, in his telling, sits at the centre of that routine. Nataraj has used Fast & Up products for the past decade and insists that every person needs electrolytes. His favourite is peach iced tea, but on race day he sticks to berry.

Beyond the final lap

Nataraj was frank in the interview that this would be his last Asian Games. He was equally candid about the sport he will eventually leave behind. Swimming remains a small sport in India, he said, and the system, according to him, needs to be looked at.

Now, after over two decades in the pool, his own goals are changing shape. The dream of becoming a two-time Olympian has been realised and looking ahead, he talks about setting national benchmarks, and about an obsession with eventually living in Australia.

Whatever the final lap brings, the work he put in beforehand is on record.