Srihari Nataraj (born 16 January 2001) is an Indian

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. A two time Olympian, he has represented India at the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

and

2024 Paris Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. Nataraj has competed at multiple major international events including

World Aquatics Championships The World Aquatics Championships, formerly the FINA World Championships, are the World Championships for six aquatic disciplines: swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. The championships are st ...

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

South Asian Games The South Asian Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among athletes from South Asia. The South Asia Olympic Council, which was formed in 1983, governs it. The Games consist of seven countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, N ...

and

Youth Olympics Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes aged 15 to 18 years old. Organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with ...

. At the 2025 Universiade, he set the national record in the 100m freestyle with a time of 49.46, and also set the national record in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:48.11.

Career

2025: Continuing his domestic dominance, Srihari competed at the 38th National Games held in Uttarakhand. He concluded the event with an exceptional tally of 9 gold medals and 1 silver, winning across a mix of individual and relay events. He was once again named the Best Male Athlete of the Games, cementing his legacy as India’s most successful male swimmer of the decade. 2024: Srihari represented India at the

, competing in the men’s 100 m backstroke. He clocked 55.01 seconds in the heats, finishing 33rd overall, and did not qualify for the semifinals. It was his second consecutive Olympic appearance, placing him among a rare group of Indian swimmers with multiple Games participations. 2023: At the 37th National Games in Goa, Srihari dominated the pool with 10 medals — 8 golds (including all three backstroke distances and relays), 1 silver, and 1 bronze. His outstanding performance earned him the title of Best Male Athlete. Internationally, he competed at the

in Hangzhou, finishing 6th in the final of the 100 m backstroke (54.48 seconds) and helping the Indian relay team secure 7th place in the men’s medley relay. 2022: Srihari had a strong showing at the

in Birmingham, reaching the finals in multiple events where he stood, 5th place in the 50 m backstroke final (25.23 seconds), 7th place in the 100 m backstroke final (54.55 seconds), 9th overall in the 200 m backstroke (2:00.84), setting a new Indian national record."Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Men's 100m Backstroke Final Results"
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''. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022."Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Men's 50m Backstroke Final Results"
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''. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022."CWG 2022: Indian Swimmer Srihari Nataraj Registers best Indian Time In 200m Backstroke, But Fails To Enter Final"
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''. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022. 2021: Srihari delivered dominant performances at the Senior National Aquatic Championships in Bengaluru, winning gold in the 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m backstroke, along with 100 m and 200 m freestyle. He was also part of victorious teams in the mixed 4×50 m freestyle and men’s 4×200 m freestyle relays, setting multiple meet records. In the same year, he competed at the

. Representing India in the 100 m backstroke, he clocked 54.31 seconds in the heats, finishing 27th overall, and did not advance to the semifinals. Despite that, he became only the second Indian swimmer to qualify with an Olympic 'A' cut. 2020: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Srihari stayed competitive, winning gold medals in the 50 m and 100 m backstroke at the Uzbekistan Open Aquatic Championships in Tashkent. These victories played a vital role in supporting his Olympic qualification campaign for Tokyo. 2019: At the

Khelo India Youth Games Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) are the annual national level multidisciplinary grassroot games in India held in January or February for two categories, namely under-17 years school students and under-21 college students. Every year best 1,000 ...

in Pune, Srihari secured six gold medals — three individual backstroke events (50 m, 100 m, 200 m) and three in relays. At the 73rd Senior National Aquatic Championships in Bhopal, he won gold in the 100 m and 200 m backstroke. Internationally, at the

2019 South Asian Games The 2019 South Asian Games, officially the XIII South Asian Games, was a major multi-sport event which was originally slated to be held from 9 to 18 March 2019 in Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal. However, the dates were postponed and the event was ...

in Kathmandu, Srihari won four gold medals — in the 100 m and 200 m backstroke, and in two relay events. He also secured two silver medals in the 50 m backstroke and a freestyle relay. He also competed at the

2019 World Aquatics Championships The 2019 World Aquatics Championships were the 18th FINA World Aquatics Championships, held in Gwangju, South Korea from 12 to 28 July 2019. The city had previously hosted the 2015 Summer Universiade aquatics events in the same venues.

in Gwangju, South Korea. He finished 40th in the 100 m backstroke heats and 36th in the 200 m backstroke, gaining valuable experience against the world’s best. 2018: Srihari competed at the

in Gold Coast, representing India in the 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m backstroke. Though he did not advance to the finals, it marked his debut at a senior multi-sport international event. He also participated at the

in Jakarta, participating in the 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m backstroke. He set a personal best of 56.19 seconds in the 100 m backstroke, finishing 8th in the heats. Although he did not make the final, his performance earned attention. Later that year, he represented India at the

Youth Olympic Games Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes aged 15 to 18 years old. Organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with ...

in Buenos Aires, further sharpening his skills on the international stage. 2017: At the National Junior Aquatic Championships in Pune, Srihari swept his events, winning gold in the 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m backstroke, along with the 200 m freestyle. Internationally, he competed in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, participating in short-course swimming disciplines and gaining key experience. 2016: Srihari made a sensational international debut at the South Asian Aquatic Championships in Colombo. He won gold in the 100 m and 200 m backstroke, and in the 4×100 m medley relay. He also bagged a silver medal in the 50 m backstroke, establishing himself as a rising talent in Indian swimming at just 15 years of age.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nataraj, Srihari Living people 2001 births Swimmers from Bengaluru Indian male backstroke swimmers Asian Games swimmers for India Swimmers at the 2018 Asian Games Swimmers at the 2022 Asian Games Swimmers at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics Swimmers at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic swimmers for India Commonwealth Games swimmers for India South Asian Games medalists in swimming South Asian Games gold medalists for India South Asian Games silver medalists for India South Asian Games bronze medalists for India