At Rio, they will be swimming with sharks

Sunny Kaul  

Shivani Kataria is just 18. She's obviously ecstatic at having qualified for Rio but she's under no illusion about her chances at the Games. She knows what it means to compete against the likes of Katie Ledecky of the USA and Australia's Emma McKeon. "My aim is to finish high in 200m freestyle," the Haryana swimmer had said after her selection for the Olympics. 

Both Kataria, who will be the first Indian woman swimmer to compete in the Olympics after Shikha Tandon represented the country in the 2004 Athens Games, and Sajan Prakash were selected by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) for Rio through the 'universality rule'. The rule allows one male and one female competitor to be part of the Games provided the swimmer has participated in the last World Championship.

Kerala boy Prakash was preferred over 2014 Asian Games bronze medalist Sandeep Sejwal by SFI on account of his current form. The 22-year-old, who will represent the country in the 200m butterfly event, is a national record holder in this category. Besides, he had won six gold and three silver medals in the 2015 National Games.

Huge challenge 

The road ahead, however, is as challenging as it could ever get — he will be in the pool alongside champions like Michael Phelps. It will be an achievement for him if he is able to better his timing and go past the heats.

Kataria had a training stint in Phuket, Thailand, recently and felt the skills she acquired there would be of great help in the coming events. "I trained hard in Phuket, would have triple session sometimes. I dropped out of school just to focus on the Olympics. I also learnt many new techniques and got to train with so many swimmers from around the world; it was an amazing experience," she said.

Sajan Prakash 
Born: September 14, 1993 
Birthplace: Idukki, Kerala
Achievements: Six Gold medals in 2015 National Games; national record holder in 200m butterf

Shivani Kataria 
Born: September 29 1997 
Birthplace: Gurgaon, Haryana 
Achievements: Gold at the 2016 South Asian Games; 2010 CWG (doubles)