Maana Patel- First Indian Female Swimmer to qualify Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Maana Patel has become the first female and only the third swimmer from India to qualify Tokyo Olympics 2021 ticket.

Key points

  • Maana Patel joins Srihari Nataraj and Sajan Prakash to have qualified for the Olympics.
  • She is a 21-year-old backstroke swimmer from Ahmedabad who have won gold medals in 50 metre backstroke and 200 metre backstroke at National Games.
  • She also won gold in 100 metre backstroke at 60th National School Games (2015) and broke the national record in backstroke.
  • She was selected for Olympic Gold Quest in 2015 making it the first time a swimmer was roped in.
  • In 2018, she secured three gold medals at 72nd Senior National Aquatic Championships.

Maana Patel

She was born on March 18, 2000. She is an Indian backstroke swimmer from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. She started at the age of seven. At 13, she clocked 2:23.41s in 200m backstroke at 40th Junior National Aquatics Championship in Hyderabad.  In 2019, she won six medals (1 gold, 4 silvers, 1 bronze) at 10th Asian Age-group Championships, Bangalore. She has won 11 international, 61 national and 75 state level medals; as of 2016.

Backstroke or back crawl

It is one among four swimming styles used in competitive events which are regulated by FINA. This style is swum on the back. This swimming style has an advantage of easy breathing. However, swimmers are not able to see where they are going. It marks a different start from other three competition swimming styles. It is similar to an upside-down front crawl or freestyle.

2020 Summer or Tokyo Olympics

This event will start from 23rd July to 8th August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Originally it was scheduled from 24 July to 9 August 2020. But it was postponed and rescheduled for the first time amid covid-19 pandemic. 2020 Games will be the second time that Japan has hosted Summer Olympic Games. First being also in Tokyo in 1964. Tokyo has become the first city in Asia to host Summer Games twice.


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