Maana Patel, who was India's lone female swimmer at the Tokyo Olympics, is fresh out of a successful stint at the 75th Senior National Aquatic Championships in Guwahati. There she won four gold and two bronze and was adjudged the best female swimmer of the Championships.

Maana is now gearing up for the National Games which will be held in her home state of Gujarat from September 27 to October 10.

Between her tight schedule, Maana took some time out to chat with CNBCTV18.com.

In her interview with CNBCTV18.com Maana talked at length about the upcoming National Games, her journey to being a professional swimmer, her experiences at the Tokyo Olympics, her favourite athletes, the importance of mental well-being and her liking for animals.

Excerpts of the interview;

Q: Firstly, congratulations Maana on a successful National Aquatic Championships where you won four gold and two bronze and were declared the best female swimmer. How are your preparations for the National Games going?

Maana Patel: Thank you. The National Games are going to be big a tournament. It is happening after seven years. It is for the first time that Gujarat is hosting a multi-sport event. Excited because it is my home state. I am really looking forward to creating waves in my home state. The swimming events will happen in Rajkot and I really love that pool. I have been in that pool multiple times so really looking forward to it.

Q: From the future, taking your story into the past, how did you get into swimming?

Maana Patel: I got into swimming because as a kid my appetite was very poor. I wouldn't eat properly. When I was just seven, my mother put me in a summer batch, thinking that I will play in the water for some time. So that was her aim.

No one in a Gujarati family thinks of making their child an athlete. That is not one of the very first ideas of a Gujarati family. It was not decided at all. We took one day at a time. It was in 2010 when I started competitive swimming. Even back then we were not looking for any competitive tournaments of sorts. It was just taking one day at a time. It was important that my education was not disturbed. So, I was able to manage both and that was the goal.

Q: There is a difference between swimming for fitness and swimming as a professional. So, what inspired you to become a professional swimmer?

Maana Patel: I loved working out. Nothing makes me happier than working out and swimming. The discipline that comes with regularly working out makes me happy. The adrenaline rush that comes with swimming is something I really really like. And I like racing. So that is something that keeps me going.

I guess swimming chose me. It was the first-ever sport that I ever played and I got hooked on it. As a kid, I remember winning gold in a state-level skate competition but it never interested me.

Q: What were the challenges that you faced growing up as a swimmer?

Maana Patel: Honestly, I am so blessed. My parents and my extended family have been very supportive of my career. Even in society, I have never felt any discrimination or discomfort. I have always been in good hands and in a safe place. That way I would say I got lucky. I am so grateful for all that I have got.

Nothing makes Maana Patel happier than working out

Q: In one of your Ted Talks you mentioned the phase in your life when you shifted to Mumbai for a while. Could you please elaborate on that?

Maana Patel: Before I shifted to Bombay for my training, I had been to the US for six months. Before that, I was in Australia for a couple of months and before that, I was in Bangalore. So I had been to a couple of places. But I was looking for one place closer to home where I could train for a considerable period of time. I did not want to keep shifting my training bases. Bombay is close to Ahemdabad and I have relatives in Bombay too.

Bombay had a good setup. It had good coaches. The setup was nice. That was the reason I chose Bombay.

But before I joined my swimming academy in Bombay I suffered a shoulder injury. That was a rocky period for me. I was at my lowest at that time. I was at that time with OGQ (Olympic Gold Quest) and they took really good care of me. I am not with OGQ anymore but back then my team took really good care of me and helped me.

Initially, I was a bit frustrated with Bombay's traffic as half of the time I was either training or was stuck in the traffic. But now I really love Bombay. The hustle and bustle of Bombay also taught me a lot. The city has taught me to never give up. I evolved as a person when I was in Bombay.

Q: What do you consider the breakthrough moment of your career?

Maana Patel: I started pretty strong. At 11 I won my first national medal. I realised then that I can up my game. At 12 I won the title of the best swimmer in my age group. At 13 I became the youngest and the fastest swimmer in backstroker of India. At 13 I started aiming at bigger things. That was the time I realised my goal of representing India at the Olympics. Everything went well up until 2016 when I got injured. It has been a roller coaster ride.

Then again from 2017 to 2019 was again a rocky period. I got disqualified for my 100m backstroke event. It is ironic because backstroke is the event that I qualified for in the Olympics. It has been one hell of a ride.

Maana describes the journey of being one of India's best female swimmers as "one hell of a ride"

Q: How has ENGN helped you?

Maana Patel: ENGN is the only organization that solely focuses on supporting female athletes Which is incredibly amazing. It is a great initiative and I have been associated with ENGN for over a year. ENGN takes care of all my requirements right from collaborations to providing Nutrionstist, coaches, mental health or any other requirement. ENGN is like a family.

Q: How was the feeling when you qualified for the Tokyo Olympics?

Maana Patel: I was the only female swimmer to represent India at the Tokyo Olympics. The feeling was special. I was ecstatic.

I have represented India at other international events but the fact that you are representing your country at the Olympics, which is the pinnacle of the sports, it is a dream of every athlete, and it was mine as well.

I was really really excited. I got to meet other top athletes. I got to be friends with PV Sindhu. I met Djokovic and I got a picture clicked with him.

It was COVID time so there were a lot of restrictions and I missed my parents there.

Q: What have been your learnings from the Tokyo Games?

Maana Patel: My performance was not up to the mark. I let the pressure get to me. I choked on the day of my race. I was practising so well before the Olympics and after I reached there I went down the spiral because of the pressure. So that is one thing that I learnt at the Olympics. How to handle the pressure. How to shut off. How to cope with the pressure at such big events is something that I learnt in Tokyo.

Tokyo Olympics was a bittersweet moment for Maana.

Q: You mentioned about Novak Djokovic, I also read that your favourite athletes are Djokovic and Serena Williams. Do you still follow tennis? Or does swimming keep you very busy?

Maana Patel: Swimming does keep me very busy but I have read a lot about tennis. I have read RAFA (Rafael Nadal's autobiography). I have read Open by Andre Agassi. I love to follow tennis and I love to follow their lives.

Djokovic is my favourite. I am really really lucky that I got to meet him and get a picture clicked.

Q: So at the Tokyo Games did you also meet the greats of swimming, Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky?

Maana Patel: I did meet them. We were there together. But I did not talk to them as they were at the pool focusing and I did not want to disturb them. Because I also do not like when someone comes and talks to me when I am near the pool focusing.

To see them warm up near the pool was intimidating. But then I realised that I have also made it to the Olympics so I belong there, so I should not be intimidated. I have to carry myself as if I own it. After one or two days I settled in.

Q: What do you think you need to do better to win a medal two years down the line at the Paris Olympics?

Maana Patel: I wouldn't be thinking of medalling at the Paris Games. I am setting myself some realistic goals. I know my goals. I know what needs to be done to first make it to the semifinal, then I need to clock in 1 minute 1-second mark in my event. That will take me there. Right now, I am focusing on that 1 minute 1 second mark. That will help me become better in my process. Instead of the result, I want to focus on the process.

Q: What India needs to do to keep producing quality swimmers?

Maana Patel: India is getting there. India was behind for a lot of years when compared to some of the developed countries. But India is getting there. In terms of infrastructure, we now have world-class facilities. The government is doing so much. We have sponsors backing us up.

One thing that we need is human resources. Human resources in terms of coaching and getting good physios.

Q: In one of your previous interviews you talked in length about mental health. We now see Virat Kohli talk so openly about mental health. Michael Phelps has also talked about depression. So could you also talk a bit about mental health?

Maana Patel: I would like to start by mentioning Arshdeep Singh. He did not do it (dropping the catch deliberately in a match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup). Everyone was trolling him. I could empathise with what he must be feeling. He is one of the top cricketers in the country. You cannot give him this for his mistake. The trolling takes a toll on someone's mental health. It can be demotivating. People have to be sensitive.

Athletes are human beings, we are not robots, and people need to realise that. Of course, we don't have a normal life. We have a disciplined and gruelling lifestyle with a lot of restrictions. In the end, we do break down. Sometimes we feel that it is not okay. But we cannot stop. But it is okay to not be okay. It is okay to feel sad.

There are days when I don't feel like swimming. I just wanted to have a day off when I don't want to do anything. It is okay to take breaks to have your batteries recharged.

So people around the athletes need to understand the human side of us and our mental well-being cannot be ignored.

Q: I checked that other than your official Instagram handle you have another Instagram handle that is dedicated to animal causes. What is that about?

Maana Patel: Yes. There is another account. If you check my account in the bio it is mentioned 'पशु पक्षी मित्र' which means friend of animals and birds. I try to proactively help injured stray animals. I look after a few stray dogs.

Maana Patel with a dog

During the lockdown, I adopted a stray dog and a stray cat. I empathise with stray animals. Yeah! I love animals. Later in life, I wish to do more for stray animals.

First Published:Sept 15, 2022 5:41 PM IST