When do you expect to start your international sojourn?

I'm hoping to go to Perth by January or February next year and I expect to get the Sports Authority of India scholarship. Swimmers have been given this scholarship before, my sister got the scholarship. I haven't got that scholarship as I haven't applied for it. I'll be applying this year and if I get that it'll help me to train there for a whole year.

What are your immediate plans?

My immediate plan is to get to my old timings, surpass that and to make sure that I don't have any more problems with my back. The meets that are coming up are the Afro- Asian Game and if I'm ready on time the world championships in April. Quite few events are coming up in 2003. With 2004 being the Olympics, I have to start doing my qualifying times now. So, it is going to be a lot of hard work and dedication now. I have had two years off and I'm ready to get back in there.

In which event are you going to concentrate with the Olympics in mind?

The 200 metres free style is my main event, that's what I qualified for in the last Olympics and I'm only 0.6 slower than the qualifying time. I know I can get back there and do that. The 200 metres and 400 metres (free style) – the middle distance – has been my forte so far. None of the other Indian swimmers have come close enough, I have to go abroad and get really good training. I also want to do a bit of backstroke as I haven't done much of that in the last few years. But, I have been doing well in that in the last few days and I thought I must concentrate on that more.

Can you enumerate your experience in Australia, did that training cause any physiological changes?

Definitely, the changes were clear to see. Here we have the top coach in India in Pradeep Kumar and we have about 15 national/ international level swimmers. But, what happens is that we need swimmers much faster than you. The girls of my age are much slower, over there I train with swimmers who are world champions and Olympic champions. And I swim meets every day and the kind of facilities that they have is excellent.

The club where I train is called City of Perth and my coach is called Bernie Mulroy. Each team has a physiotherapist, a sports psychologist and a dietician. All you have to do is swim and everything else is taken care of for you. But, in India sports hasn’t got that professional and things like diet, physiotherapy massages… we are left in the dark. We have to go on the Internet to ask for help.

When we go abroad, it becomes so much easier. I wasn't doing much weights there, just lots of swimming. When I go back, I hope to do something called 'boxercise', which all my teammates were doing and really build up my muscles. That's one difference that I can make out. Physically we are much weaker than them. They are very, very toned athletes and we are not exactly that way and I'm hoping to build on my strength.

But do you think at 20, you are at the right age to build muscles?

Definitely, In fact earlier there were notions that if you were above the age of 14 or 15 and you hadn't made it to the Olympic level then you should stop. In the last Olympics, we had a swimmer winning gold at the age of 33! It has given me a lot of confidence. Even though, I have missed out on two years, I feel it has helped me in a way.

I'm only 20 now and expect to swim at least another eight years minimum. It is a correct age now and I'm mature enough to know that I have to be emotionally and mentally strong – as I know the technical aspect of swimming. Coming from injury is always tough, but this is the correct time for me to go back and start training.

What is the 200 metres FINA qualifying time for the Olympics?

The FINA qualifying time for 200 metres free style for the Olympics is 2:06.0. My best timing is 2:06.6, so it is just 0.6 off the qualifying time and I'm very, very keen on making it. Not only keen on making it, but also improving my time further. Because a timing of 2.05 or 2.04 would also get me higher up in the Australian nationals and I'll be able to qualify for the semi-finals or the final. I want to do that. I don't want to just qualify, but also try and get medals in upcoming meets like the Afro-Asian Games.

Will you go ahead with your proposed foreign exposure trip without sponsorship or scholarship?

It is going to be very tough, because my parents can't afford to send me abroad. Unless, I get a scholarship or sponsorship, it is going to be impossible. Hopefully, either the SAI will sponsor me or some company will step forward and sponsor me. It is very, very costly, it'll cost about Rs six to eight lakh, if I want to go train a year. My parents have been financing my sister and my swimming career for the last 10 years.

Do you have any specific sponsor in mind?

We have approached many, many people and they have the same answer, I'm sorry nobody is interested in swimming. We don't get much media attention and all the sponsors go straight to cricket. It is very disappointing for us, but we are still trying. Adidas sponsors my kit, which is very helpful. All my swimsuits, track suits and I get a sales scholarship, but that's not enough for me to go abroad and train.

In the light of the above what needs to be done to promote swimming and may be get a few more Nishas?

The problem with other sports, except for cricket, is that the media coverage is good but the public has to take an interest. Even some swimmers in my own pool, when a cricket match is going on when we are training say can we miss our training and go for the cricket match. So, you have to treat other sports also equally. Lately, tennis has got a lot of media attention and public support. It’ll be nice if we could see the public coming and supporting us at the competitions and learning about us and swimming as a sport, it would be nice if our swimming meets are covered on television – some of our meets are not even covered by Doordarshan, which is quite sad.

We have amazingly talented swimmers, but there are no job opportunities and they eventually die out. And the public support is just not there. Every time there is an Olympics or Asian Games, people say one billion people and one bronze medal, but they don't know what's behind and how hard we train. We come here morning and evening to spend six to seven hours in training. At the end of the day, all you have got to show for is certificates and medals. We are struggling to survive normally. I wish more people get behind other sports more.