We had to work on many things but thanks to everything coming together, today I have made it, ” he said. “I had to literally start from scratch, I had to work on basics. The Government funded a two-month traning camp in Dubai for three swimmers including Sajan Prakash between August and October. During his rehabilitation and when swimming pools in India were shut due to the lockdown, the thought of an Olympic ‘A’ cut was far from his thoughts. The postponement of the Olympic Games by a year came as a blessing for Sajan Prakash.
So, I didn’t know then if an A cut would be possible.” My coach (Pradeep Kumar) told me that if I wanted to qualify for the Olympics, I would have to do things differently. “Within three months I was able to return to swimming freestyle, I was not able to swim one stroke of butterfly. When I got back in the pool, I was not able to swim even 200m. “But in sport, it’s that 1 per cent that matters. “When I returned to the pool, I had lost 50 per cent of my belief but the other 50 per cent I knew I could do it,” he said. It completed a comeback for the 27 year-old who will be competing in his second Olympics, having spent eight months away from the pool due to a neck injury and the lockdown. Sajan Prakash created history last weekend when he became the first Indian to achieve the Olympic ‘A’ cut, clocking 1:56:38 in 200m butterfly at the Settecolli Swim Meet in Rome.
“It will surely get me into the semifinals and once I get there, I will give it my best shot to reach the final as well.” “My realistic target at the Tokyo Olympics is to cut down another 0.5 seconds from my current time,” he told reporters at a media interaction facilitate by the Sports Authority of India. The medal was 1.5 seconds away, at touching distance,” said the swimmer.Sajan Prakash, the first Indian to secure an Olympic Qualification Time for an automatic berth in the Olympic Games swimming competition, has placed the semifinals as a realistic target in Tokyo2020. However, any elite sportsperson will not let it get to the head during such occasions. We have to prepare for the worst situations and adapt to it accordingly. Sajan reached the final, but missed out on a medal in the end. The event came at a tough time for the swimmer, with floods happening in his home state and his family’s safety being in doubt. The Asian Games 2018 was a topsy-turvy affair for Sajan Prakash. It was remarkable I got to compete with him in the same event,” said Sajan Prakash. Because he has done so much for the sport. “Olympics is a stage for the top athletes in the world. I was very honoured and proud of that,” said the Tokyo-bound swimmer.Īt the Rio Olympics, Sajan Prakash got to compete in the same event and rub shoulders with his hero Michael Phelps. It was the crowd that boosted me and pushed me on. In the National Games, I was extremely tired after five events. “It felt great to be at a level where fans are highly appreciative. It was a surreal experience for the Indian ace, swimming in front of his home fans. The then 21-year-old took the nation by storm with nine medals and was chosen as the Best Athlete of the games. The National Games was first big moment for Sajan Prakash. Especially, what we went through and had to overcome to reach this point.” National Games glory The last one year has been an incredible journey. It was very difficult for me after the injury. “This achievement is for both of us together. His positive presence has been a huge boost for the swimmer to push his limits. Push from the coachĪnother constant figure in Sajan’s sporting career is the rock of support that is his coach Pradeep Kumar. She pushed me every time I failed,” reminisced the Kerala native. It was good that I had a mother who understood me completely and understood my goal. If you fail every time, how you would get back.
Sajan prakash how to#
How to progress in the sport, the hardship every sportsperson faces. “Being a sportsperson herself, she understood things better.
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