Having realised her dream of representing India at the Olympics, Maana Patel has set her sights on becoming the first Indian woman swimmer in 17 years to compete at the Asian Games later this year. (More Sports news)
Shikha Tandon was the last woman swimmer to have represented India a⛦t the Asian Games -- in 2006 Doha edit🔯ion.
Maana, who was the only woman swimmer representing India at the Tokyo Olympics after gaining a universality quota place, wants to end the 17-yeꩵar wait for a female swimmer from the country at the continental event scheduled to take place in Hangzho✱u, China from September 23.
"No woman has competed in Asian Games since 2006. My aim right now is to 🍸do well at the Asian Games qualifiers," Maana told PTI.
"I have secured 8th place for the 200m backstroke 🅷but my aim is to qualify for sixth position and go in with a faster time."
The 23-year-old has already breached the eighth place qualifying time set by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) and is looking to shave off a few m𓄧ore seconds tಌo make the sixth place cut.
SFI has set a time better than the sixth-placeꦿ finisher of the last Asian Gam🌞es for selection for the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Maana enjoyed a good run at the Senior National Aquatic💎 Championships last year, winning four gold and two bronze medals. She followed that up with three gold♋, two silver and one bronze medal at the National Games.
During the off season, she underwent twin surgeries in October -- a tonsillectomy and deviated nasal septum surge🐟൲ry.
"During the National Games, I started falling sick, had sev🥃ere throat pain, had difficulty swallowing food and liquid and I do get these issues now and again so I went to an ENT specialist and found out I had chronic tonsillitis.
"I had to get my deviated nasal septum sur🍒gery done. So, we decided to do tonsillectomy at the same time," said Maana, who is supported by ENGN.
The nasal surgery was essential as it was affecting Maana💙's breathing.
"The wall separating the nostril was slanting so I had trouble breathing. I would 🍌just keep yawning all the time to get more oxygen. I also had an extra bone growth on the side of the wall. We had to trim the bone and cಌorrect the wall.
"I was on painkillers and antibiotics for a month, even the doctor said I can't have these two procedures together because it will be painful and the recovery will be long but I couldn't afford to be away from ♛the pool for that long."
Competing in her first meet since the surgeries, Maana clinched the silver medal in the 50m and 100m backstroke events at theꦿ Singapore National Age Group Championship last month.
A change in her training method and schedule has also benefitted her. ♎
"In January, we introduced some new training m꧋ethods, we were sceptical as to how this training would work for m🐼e. It was really just a test to see whether we should continue with the training schedule. But it worked out really well.
"We are trying on new 🧔swim sets, changed by gym schedule so I'm on a completely dif🅺ferent land program."
Despite it being the season-opening meet, Maana was just 0.4s off her personal best, and she is confident she can go faster in the 𒉰upcoming competitions. "I wasn't faster in Singapore, but it was 0.4 off my person🌞al best. But I'm certain I can shave that off."
