Point to prove for Indian female swimmers returning to Asian Games after 17 years
India’s female swimmers will be participating in the upcoming Asian Games after a long absence of 17 years. Nine Indian female swimmers have been included in the list of athletes who will be heading to Hangzhou in September.
Shikha Tandon was the last woman to represent India in the games after making the cut for the 50m freestyle event all the way back in 2006
India’s women swimmers have been absent from the roster since 2006 due to the qualification criteria that require swimmers to meet the top-6 timings from the previous edition of the Asian Games. The rising Asian standard has meant that Indian swimmers consistently miss elite tournaments.
Five women took part in the 1998 edition, which dropped to two in 2002 and then just one in 2006. Since 2006, no Indian female swimmer has taken part but things have changed this year, with nine athletes meeting the qualification criteria. The selection was made by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) based on performances at the National Aquatics Championships 2023.
In early July, the National Aquatics Championships took place in Hyderabad. The event acted as a qualifying event for next year’s Paris Olympics as well as the final chance to make the squad for the Asian Games.
Linyesha AK qualified for the 100m breaststroke event on her way to setting a national record timing of 1:12.67. Maana Patel rewrote her national record in the 100m backstroke with a timing of 1:03.48 and qualified for the Asian Games.
Nina Venkatesh broke national records in the women’s 50m and 100m butterfly events and will feature in the Asian Games. Karnataka's 13-year-old sensation Dhinidhi Desinghu qualified for the 200m freestyle by setting a national record of 2:04.24.
Being the ninth fastest Asian in the 100m backstroke category this year, Maana Patel is the best candidate to win a medal.
Full List of Indian Female Swimmers at the Asian Games
Indian Women's Swimming Team: Anannya Nayak, Dhinidhi Desinghu, Hashika Ramachandran, Lineysha AK, Maana Patel, Nina Venkatesh, Palak Joshi, Vritti Agarwal, and Shivangi Sharma