Tokyo Olympics: Maana Patel expresses delight at being first Indian female swimmer to qualify
The upcoming Tokyo Olympics has inspired many Indian athletes, as some of the swimmers have managed to book their place. Meanwhile, Maana Patel is delighted at becoming India's first female swimmer to qualify and is determined to make it count.
FollowWith just weeks away from the Tokyo Olympics, qualified Indian athletes are getting increasingly excited. Furthermore, with some sealing their maiden Olympics spot, it adds to the delight.
Swimmer Maana Patel created history by becoming the first female from the nation to make it to the Games at the sport. The 21-year-old is all set to compete at the 100m backstroke, as she was granted her spot by the Fédération Internationale de Natation through universality quota, thanks to some of her exquisite performances in Europe.
Consequently, she was delighted at her achievement but is focused on the task at hand, as she feels it's a long road ahead. "I am very, very thrilled. I am honoured and humbled to represent my country at the Olympics this year. But, I believe this is just the beginning for me and there is a long way to go ... many more medals to win for India," she told Reuters.
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She explained her struggles during the pandemic that saw most of the Indian swimmers stranded, with swimming pools being shut down, as they had to work extra hard to qualify for the Games. "Corona period was very difficult for all of us, especially for swimmers because pools were shut for a very long time and it was very difficult for us to train. I kept myself fit by exercising at home, eating good food - clean, healthy food, and kept a positive mindset by reading books," she recalled.
Meanwhile, Maana would be the third Indian swimmer to participate in Tokyo, alongside Srihari Nataraj and Sajan Prakash. As for her latest achievements, she won the gold in Uzbekistan in April, followed by a few impressive performances in Serbia and Italy. She set a national record at the Belgrade event, clocking a minute and 3.77 seconds during 100m backstroke.
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