Likith Selvaraj is an Indian professional swimmer who has represented India in several international swimming competitions. She specializes in the breaststroke style of swimming.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Likith Selvaraj Prema aka Likith SP was born on Friday, 14 August 1998 (age 25 years; as in 2023) in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. His zodiac sign is Leo. He started swimming at the young age of five.
Childhood picture of Likith Selvaraj (left)
He attended Glenwood High School in Durban until 2016, where he began swimming training under Graham Hill. He later pursued a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree at Jain Deemed-to-be University from 2020 and later a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Strategic Leadership and Design at the University of Indianapolis from August 2021 to June 2023 .
Likith Selvaraj (second from right) while studying in South Africa
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 10″
Weight (Approx): 70 kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
Body Measurements (Approx): Chest 44″, Waist 30″, Biceps 14″
Family
He belongs to a Hindu family.
parents and siblings
His mother’s name is Prema MN. He has a sister named Charu.
Likith Selvaraj with his mother Prema MN
wife and children
He is unmarried and has no children.
relationships/affairs
he is single.
Religion
He follows Hindu religion.
livelihood
float
He started swimming while studying in school and later participated in various junior swimming competitions.
Likith Selvaraj during swimming practice
In September 2017, he trained at a swimming camp organized by the Sports Federation of India (SFI). He initially trained at Basavanagudi Aquatic Center (BAC) and later at Nettakallappa Aquatic Center (NAC).
Likith Selvaraj during swimming practice session
Likith initially competed for Karnataka in various national competitions; However, later he started representing the services, especially the Indian Navy. In January 2019, he began training under Parth Varanasi.
Likith Selvaraj with his coach Parth Varanasi (right)
He has also trained in South Africa and Austria at different times in his career. While in the United States for his education, he also competed in NCAA Division 2 competitions. She later competed in various international competitions, including finishing 7th in the 100 m breaststroke final at the 19th Asian Games in 2023.
Likith Selvaraj during the 19th Asian Games in 2023
training program
In an interview, Likith told that he takes swimming training for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. He also does various adventure activities like surfing, slacklining, yoga, skateboarding and acro-yoga to increase his flexibility and agility as the breaststroke style of swimming puts a lot of stress on the hips and knees.
Likith Selvaraj (right) during a skateboarding session.
medal
Sleep
- 50 and 200 meter breaststroke at the 25th South Zone Aquatics Championships in 2011
- 200 meter individual medley at the 39th Junior National Aquatic Championships in 2012
- 100m Breaststroke at the State Sub-Junior and Junior Aquatics Championships in 2013
- 50 and 200 meter breaststroke at the State Senior Aquatic Championships in 2014
- 50 meter breaststroke at the 41st Junior National Aquatic Championships in 2015
Likith Selvaraj (centre) after winning the gold medal at the 41st Junior National Aquatic Championship in 2015
- 100, 200 m breaststroke and 200 m individual medley at the 42nd Junior National Aquatic Championships in 2015
- 4X 100 meter medley at the 72nd Senior National Aquatic Championships in 2018
Likith Selvaraj (centre) after winning the gold medal at the 72nd Senior National Aquatic Championship in 2018
- Khelo India Youth Games 2019 in Under-21 age group 50m freestyle, 50 and 100m breaststroke, 4×100m medley and 4X100m freestyle
- 100 meter breaststroke at the 62nd Malaysia Open Swimming Championships in 2019
- 50, 100, 200 m Breaststroke and 4 X 100 m Individual Medley at the 13th South Asian Games in 2019
Likith Selvaraj after winning gold medal at the 2019 South Asian Games
- 200 meter breaststroke at the 73rd Senior National Aquatic Championships in 2019
- 200m breaststroke at the Khelo India University Games in 2020
- 50, 100, 200m breaststroke and 4 X 100m medley relay at the 75th Senior National Aquatic Championships in 2022
Likith Selvaraj (left) after winning gold medal at the 75th Senior National Aquatic Championships in 2022
- 50, 100, 200m breaststroke and 4 X 100m medley relay at 36th National Games in 2022
Likith Selvaraj after winning gold medal at the 36th National Games in 2022
- 50 and 100 meter breaststroke at the 76th Senior National Aquatic Championships in 2023
silver
- 200 meter medley at the State Senior Aquatic Championships in 2014
- 200m Breaststroke and 400m Medley at the 70th Senior National Aquatic Championships in 2016
- 50 and 100 meter breaststroke at the Uzbekistan Open Swimming Championships in 2021
Brass
- 50 and 100 meter breaststroke at the 2012 World School Games
- 100 meter breaststroke in the under-18 category at the 2016 South African National Level 3 Swimming Championships
Likith Selvaraj (right) after winning the bronze medal in the under-18 category at the 2016 South African National Level 3 Swimming Championships
- 200 meter medley at the 70th Senior National Aquatic Championships in 2016
- 50 and 100 meter breaststroke at the 10th Asian Age Group Championships in 2019
- Khelo India Youth Games 2019 Under-21 Age Group 200m Breaststroke
controversies
Cheating at the 2019 All India Inter University Games
Likith participated in the All India Inter University Games held at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Jalandhar, Punjab from 1 to 4 November 2019. Reportedly, timing was being kept manually instead of using an automatic touchpad and officials rigged the timing to declare local athletes winners. After witnessing such large-scale cheating, many swimmers from other states started protesting against the officials and took to social media to complain about the practices adopted in the event. Lickith also protested the event by carrying a poster at the starting block of the race, which read,
I would rather fail with honor than win by cheating. Let us all swim fairly, say no to cheating.”
Likith Selvaraj protesting against the 2019 All India Inter University Games
Kiren Rijiju, the then Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports, responded to the allegations by announcing an investigation into the incident.
Uzbekistan Open Swimming Championships manipulation
In April 2021, Likith alleged that at the Uzbekistan Open Swimming Championships held from 13 to 17 April 2021 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, officials manipulated times in the 100 m freestyle heats and 100 m butterfly heats to help local swimmers. It was a qualification event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. During the 200 m breaststroke event on the final day of the tournament, he did not dive into the pool and stood on the diving block for more than two minutes as a mark of protest.
Letter written by Abhinav Bindra to Likith Selvaraj after exposing manipulation in 2021 Uzbekistan Open Swimming Championships
Referring to the protests he said,
I touched the pad and stopped my time and asked the officials if this was a new world record to show them that what they were doing was wrong.
Likith also alleged that local officials had offered him bribes to remain silent on the issues. Uzbek swimmers Murat Sagdullaev and Yulduz Kuchkarova also helped him when he struggled with mental health issues due to his allegations that he was branded a liar; However, his parents and fellow players fully supported him.
Likith Selvaraj (far right) with Murat Sagadullaev (far left) and Yulduz Kuchkarova (second from right)
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) later investigated the allegations and found them to be true, after which they removed the event from Olympic qualification events. In August 2023, FINA also banned the organizers of the 2021 event for five years. Likith said the suspension is a victory for athletes who work hard and said,
This is a vindication, a victory for the athletes, and a first step in cleaning up the system, as I’m sure many similar illegal practices occur elsewhere. When I look back, I never regretted what I did, even though many people were against me and said that I should not be impulsive.”
This is a huge step for us athletes. It is a relief to hear that the arbitration court has taken the best decision. Thanks @fina1908 https://t.co/pKjwvL5UYd
– Likith Prema (@likithsp98) 12 July 2021
award
- Ekalavya Award by Government of Karnataka in 2022
Likith Selvaraj honored with Ekalavya Award given by Government of Karnataka in 2022
Favorite
- Sports Team: FC Barcelona
- Indian Athlete: Milkha Singh
Facts/General Knowledge
- In 2016, she was sponsored under the JSW Sports Excellence Program (SEP), which helped her with training and funding for the diet and accessories required for swimming. He was later sponsored by GoSports Foundation where he was also included in the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme.
- During the initial COVID-19 lockdown in July 2020, he auctioned his miniature ‘FINA World Championship Carbon Flex VX’, which he wore during the World Championship 2019 held in Gwangju, South Korea, to help families of staff in the sports community Was.
Likith Selvaraj shows off his ‘FINA World Championship Carbon Flex VX’ short, which he auctioned to help sports staff during the initial Covid-19 lockdown.
- In an interview, Likith said that his father is his biggest influence and he learns something from him every day.
- He ate a non-vegetarian diet while growing up; However, in 2019, he became a vegetarian and vegan in early 2020 to increase his speed.
- He aspires to become a poly sport athlete in various adventure sports.
Likith Selvaraj doing handstand
- Likith is an AUST SWIM certified swim instructor.
- He is a wildlife lover and has also met famous American conservationist Paul Rosolie in the Amazon jungle.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn