India is sending two swimmers to the Paris Olympics. In the men’s category, Srihari Natraj is the only swimmer representing India this time.
The athletes have been training rigorously and eating well to perform their best at the Paris Olympics.
Srihari Natraj spoke exclusively to InsideSport and shared his training and diet plans ahead of the Paris Olympics.
“I only skip breakfasts on Sundays” – Srihari Natraj
Talking about his diet plan, Srihari Natraj said, “I have about five to six meals a day. My usual breakfast consists of eggs, sometimes with bread. Lunch is usually rice, and dinner might be pasta or roti with curry. I have coffee, a protein bar, or some fruit before the evening session. On my days off, I might not eat as much and skip snacks before sessions. On Sundays, I wake up late and might skip breakfast, having lunch directly instead.”
Love for sugar
Discussing cheat meals, Srihari said, “For the first 17 years of my life, I had ice cream every single night at home with my family. It was just something we did. I grew up on that, and I really like ice cream. I enjoy desserts and anything with sugar. I like chocolates, Mysore pak, and anything sweet. I don’t find anything too sweet, even when others do. It’s something I enjoy a lot.”
Less weights, more swimming
Srihari also shared insights about his training. “There’s a lot of swim training happening, and the gym is just for maintaining basic strength. Most of the work is happening in the pool, trying to simulate my race with a lot of sprint work and some endurance work as well. The 100-metre event is not just a dash; it takes about 50 to 53 seconds, so we need the endurance to swim at a high pace. We do a lot of speed and endurance work.”