Shikha Tandon is an International swimmer from Bangalore. She has won 146 national medals, and 36 medals in international competitions, including five gold medals. In 2005, she was honored with an Arjuna Award. In 2005, she became the first female Indian to win a medal at the Asian Open level. She won a bronze at the Asian Indoor Games in Bangkok.
At the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, she reached the semi-finals of both 50 m backstroke and 50 m freestyle.
She is presently based in San Francisco, USA and is the Director of Global Partnerships at SVEXA (Silicon Valley Exercise Analytics), which is an exercise intelligence and sports analytics company. Her contribution for the country is through the presence on the board of a non-profit organisation called Bridges of Sports.
Catch Ms. Shikha Tandon in conversation with WF President, Ms. Namita Nayyar on her journey, training, diet, lifestyle!
Ms. Namita Nayyar
You went on to represent India in swimming at the Asian Games at the age of 13, and your first World Championship at age of 16, and the Olympics at 19. Share your early journey with taking up swimming as a career option, and what motivated you to do so?
Ms. Shikha Tandon
Swimming was not my sport of choice as a young girl, and I was more interested in running. When I was 8, my younger brother who had severe asthma was advised by the doctor to take up swimming to help improve his lung capacity. My mom started taking us both to the pool and in fact, initially, I used to be scared of the water. But one thing led to another and I started enjoying it and won my first national medal at age 9. After that, we just took one day at a time,
and I continued to enjoy and excel in the sport and when I started representing India, there was no looking back.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Over the course of your swimming career, you have won almost 150 national medals, 37 international medals, and broken 75 national records. Share your experience as a competitive swimmer along with any memorable moments.
Ms. Shikha Tandon
Over the course of my 15 year swimming career, there have been plenty of wonderful memories. But a couple of them definitely stand out as they shaped stages of my career.
One was when I won my first national medal at the age of 9. I had won the bronze and came back from the medal ceremony crying. When my mom asked me why, I said that I didn’t like the colour of the medal. At that point she told me that if I wanted the other colours, then I would have to work hard for it and that advice stuck with me throughout.
Another great memory is when I qualified for the Olympics at the 2003 World Championships. It was the morning of the 4×100 m Freestyle relay and I was swimming the first leg. That same morning when I woke up, I told my roommate that I had a dream that I had qualified for the Olympics and also told her my time. To my utter disbelief, when I touched the wall at the end of the race, my time was exactly what I had dreamt of, right up to the one-hundredths of a second!
FULL INTERVIEW ON NEXT PAGE!
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness Org
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.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
You are presently based in San Francisco, USA and are the Director of Global Partnerships at SVEXA (Silicon Valley Exercise Analytics), which is an exercise intelligence and sports analytics company. Throw some light on the company and your role.
Ms. Shikha Tandon
SVEXA is an exercise intelligence company that offers optimisation of training, recovery, and performance to athletes – both elite and recreational. Over the past decade, with the advances in wearable technology and data collection methods, many athletes and coaches have access to potentially hundreds of data streams. This could include data such as sleep metrics, nutrition, heart rate, activity and workout data, GPS data, biological markers, physiological data etc.
However, the challenge is to integrate all these data streams to offer personalised insights for the individual. While most of our work started off with elite athletes, the learnings can be applied to the general population for health and wellness too.
My role involves forging strategic business partnerships with athletes, sports teams, technology, and health & wellness entities.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
You believe in giving back to the society & are on the board of a non-profit organisation in India called Bridges of Sports, where they work with the Siddi community in Northern Karnataka. What’s your role in the project?
Ms. Shikha Tandon
I’m on the advisory board for Bridges of Sport, and work closely with the Founder/CEO in a strategic and consulting capacity, to enable them to fulfill their mission of providing athletic training programs to children from tribal and underserved communities in India. At the moment, the focus is on the Siddi community in Northern Karnataka. Within this community, we’re building one of India’s first hyperlocal talent identification and development programs. We’ve
also been able to partner with sports science organisations across the world to offer these athletes and coaches the best training methods and practices.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Your daily fitness routine? 5 Stretches every sports person should practice to avoid injury?
Ms. Shikha Tandon
For the past 1.5 years, given the restrictions related to the pandemic, my daily workout has been chasing after my toddler at home! We also enjoy going on weekend hikes, since gyms and swimming pools have been closed for most of the past year.
Stretching is extremely important, both before and after a workout. The actual stretch or movement will depend on the activity being performed. For someone like me, who is a few weeks postpartum and has a newborn at home, I ensure that I stretch out my shoulders, chest, back, hips, and legs to prevent any injuries related to caring for her.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Your daily diet routine? Any specific diet you follow, the food you love to eat & avoid? Supplements you think women should take for optimum health?
Ms. Shikha Tandon
I eat everything and don’t follow any specific diet. However, I’m watchful that everything is in moderation and avoid anything with excess sugar or oil. I followed a similar approach while swimming competitively, and it works for my body.
I believe food is the best supplement – a healthy, diverse, and wholesome diet is unmatched. If someone requires supplementation for medical reasons, those can be taken after consulting a doctor.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Talking about your daughter, she was in the pool when she was a 10-month-old. According to you, when is the right time to start training for the future?
Ms. Shikha Tandon
Infants can begin exploring the water as early as 6 months. For the first few years, right up to when they’re 5 or 6 years old, it’s all about having fun and getting familiar and comfortable in the water. If the child is interested in a more structured approach to swimming training, that can begin around 7-8 years. However, serious competitive training doesn’t happen until much later.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Motivational quote you live by?
Ms. Shikha Tandon
Take one step at a time and never miss an opportunity to learn. Sometimes, to continue on the path of growth, it’s ok to take a step to the side and explore a different route. The road forward is not always linear.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Message for your fans & WF followers on women health?
Ms. Shikha Tandon
Be kind to yourself. While embarking on your own personal fitness and health journey, take the
time to understand what works for you and what motivates you. Don’t get caught up in the social
media frenzy of what’s considered healthy or fit.
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This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness Org