Ms. Namita Nayyar
Shikha, you have been honoured with the prestigious Arjuna Award for your sporting achievements. What was your family’s and your reaction when you were informed of this?
Ms. Shikha Tandon
Receiving the Arjuna award was a great honor and a testament to the hard work put in by not only me, but my parents and coaches as well. Being invited to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the award ceremony, and having the honor of receiving it from the then President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, was truly a moment to cherish.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
In 2004, you were the first Indian swimmer to qualify for two events at the Olympics – the 50 m and 100 m Freestyle. In 2005, at the Asian Indoor Games, you won a bronze, becoming the first and only Indian woman to win a medal at the Asian open level. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, you reached the 50 m Backstroke and 50 m Freestyle semifinals. Share your daily training routine while competing in swimming. According to you, what are the 5 key essentials every beginner needs to keep in mind & follow while preparing for competition?
Ms. Shikha Tandon
During the years that I was competing, we trained 6 days a week, and our daily routine consisted of two swim sessions and one gym or strength training session. On an average, we would swim anywhere between 6-8 kms per session.
Swimming is a demanding sport, both physically and mentally. You spend hours upon hours staring at the swimming pool floor during training.
- For children that are interested in pursuing competitive swimming, it’s key that they enjoy the sport.
- As they progress, it’s beneficial to set short and long term goals and break down the process such that they’re able to take it one step at a time.
- For parents of children keen to pursue competitive swimming, it’s important to understand that swim training is a team sport; one that requires immense commitment not just from the athlete but support from the family. As with any competitive sport, there are ups and downs and no guarantees.
- I’ve always believed that education happens both on and off the field. So, even if one doesn’t win any medals, the process of participating in sport teaches us many life skills. Leveraging these skills along with my academic education, helped me transition to a career beyond competitive swimming.