New Delhi: Their resumption of training still on hold due to government guidelines, elite Indian swimmers say the continued restrictions on use of pools will not only affect their performance in the next few years but is also taking a toll on their mental health.
Swimmers in the country have not entered the pools since March 25, when the first coronavirus-forced lockdown was announced. The latest Ministry of Home Affairs' guidelines on the third phase of easing lockdown restrictions still prohibited the use of swimming pools till August 31.
Srihari Nataraj, who achieved the 'B' qualification mark last year in the 100m backstroke event with a national record 54.69sec, said this forced break has pushed back the careers of swimmers by almost a year, the effects of which will be felt in the Tokyo Olympics and the next Asian Games.
"Had we been training, all of us would have made substantial progress. Now it's going to take us at least 3-4 months to make the same amount of progress, setting us back by almost an entire year," Nataraj told a leading news agency.
The 19-year-old needs to bring his timing down to 53.85secs to be sure of a Tokyo Olympics spot.
"The things I would have achieved in March, I will achieve in December if I get back to training now. We are wasting a lot of time in our career. It will affect our performance in Tokyo Olympics, 2022 Asian Games," Nataraj added.
Kushagra Rawat, who has achieved the 'B' qualification mark in the three events of 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, said the lack of training opportunities was also affecting the Indian swimmers mentally.
"Swimming pools have opened all over the world, so it keeps playing on our mind that they (who have started training) have improved their timings while we haven't even been in a pool for four months," Rawat said.
"It is such a discipline that even if you miss out for a day or two, that impacts your performance. When I took a three-month break for my 12th board exams it took me three months to get back to the earlier timings."