Sajan Prakash is an Indian competition swimmer. He is the first Indian swimmer to qualify for the FINA ‘A’ standard of international swimming in the 200 m butterfly. Sajan has many national records to his name.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Sajan Prakash was born on Tuesday, 14 September 1993 (age 27 years; as in 2020) in Idukki district of Kerala, India. His zodiac sign is Virgo. He attended St. Paul’s Matriculation Higher Secondary School and Jawahar Higher Secondary School for his primary and secondary education. Sajan attended Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu to pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer applications. Sajan Prakash is interested in learning about sports science, so he enrolled in the online course of Post Graduate in Sports Science at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology. Sajan Prakash was brought up in a family of athletes, which inspired him to pursue a career in the field of sports.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 7″
Weight (Approx): 70 kg
Eye colour: black
Hair Color: Black
Family
parents and siblings
Sajan Prakash’s mother’s name is Vejeshanthimol. He is a former athlete who has represented India in several national and international competitions.
Sajan Prakash with his mother
livelihood
Sajan Prakash started practicing swimming at an early age. Initially, he was interested in track and field-based sports, especially running and badminton, but he had flat feet, which prevented him from participating in these events. Despite not being able to participate in field events she took up swimming and enrolled herself at Neyveli Lignite City Swimming Club, Neyveli, Tamil Nadu to train herself in swimming under the mentorship of Joy Joseph and Saji Sebastian. Soon after enrolling in Nevwali Club, Sajan ran into an unexpected problem, as the swimming club officials showed little interest in swimming, which hindered his career development. Her coaches Joy Joseph and Saji Sebastian then advised her to join Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre, a leading swimming training center located in Bangalore. There, Sajan Prakash resumed his training under his current coach Pradeep Kumar. On 8 February 2015, Sajan Prakash created his first national record at the 35th Indian National Games in Kerala in 2015, winning six gold medals and three silver medals at the National Games. This victory of Sajan brought him into the limelight and also proved to be a turning point in his career.
Sajan Prakash appreciating his gold medals
In 2015, FINA, an international federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee for the conduct of international competitions in water sports, partnered with Indian swimmers to form a partnership to train Indian swimmers in Thailand with 21 aspiring Olympians from the world for Rio. Contacted the swimming federation. Games 2016. The Indian Swimming Federation authority selected Sajan Prakash for this partnership and Sajan took full advantage of the opportunity and became the first Indian swimmer to qualify for the Rio Olympics. In 2016 he went to Rio Games 2016 but could not win any medal there.
On 26 June 2021, Sajan Prakash again registered a national record in his name when he clocked 1:56.38 minutes in the 200m butterfly to become the first Indian swimmer to earn the international swimming ‘A’ standard and directly qualify for the next Olympics. Qualified for. , On this achievement he said,
I am very happy emotionally because in the last two years I had to go through some difficulties and obstacles. This was as difficult as it could be for me. Many people, including some of those closest to me, did not believe I could do it. Still, there were friends in the swimming fraternity I consider family who supported me and believed in me. I think I made them proud with what I did last Saturday. “I have never felt happier in my entire life.”
medal
Sajan Prakash showing his gold medal
Sleep
- 2014: 100m Butterfly at the National Games of India
- 2014: 1500 meter freestyle at the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, Scotland
- 2015: 100 m Butterfly at the 35th Indian National Games, Kerala
- 2015: 200 m butterfly at the 35th Indian National Games, Kerala
- 2015: 400 m Freestyle at the 35th Indian National Games, Kerala
- 2015: 800 m Freestyle at the 35th Indian National Games, Kerala
- 2015: 1500 m Freestyle at the 35th Indian National Games, Kerala
- 2015: 4*100 m Relay Freestyle at the 35th Indian National Games, Kerala
- 2016: 200 m butterfly at the South Asian Games, India
- 2016: 1500 m freestyle at the South Asian Games, India
- 2016: 1500 m freestyle at the South Asian Games, India
- 2017: 200m Butterfly at Asian Age Group, Tashkent
silver
- 2015: 200 meter freestyle at the 35th Indian National Games, Kerala
- 2015: 4*100 meters relay medley at the 35th Indian National Games, Kerala
- 2017: 100 m butterfly at the Asian Indoor Games, Ashgabat
- 2017: 800m Freestyle at Asian Age Group, Tashkent
- 2021: 200m butterfly at the Belgrade Swimming Meet
Brass
- 2017: 400m Freestyle at Asian Age Group, Tashkent
- 2017: 100m Butterfly at Asian Age Group, Tashkent
- 2017: 4X200 meters relay at the Asian Age Group, Tashkent
record
- First Indian swimmer to qualify for the final at the 2018 Asian Games in 200m butterfly in 32 years.
- First Indian swimmer to qualify for Tokyo Olympics.
- First Indian swimmer to break the FINA “A” Olympic qualification time.
- The only Indian male swimmer to participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
- He has the record of winning 6 gold medals and 3 silver medals in the National Games.
Favourite Things
- Swimmers: Michael Phelps, Daiyo Seto
Facts/General Knowledge
- Sajan Prakash likes to spend his free time watching movies and playing tennis.
- Sajan Prakash is working as Officer Commanding in Kerala Police.
- Sajan Prakash has a total of 10 national, 3 South Asian and 1 Asian records in his name.
- Initially Sajan used to practice freestyle stroke, but later on the recommendation of his coach Pradeep Kumar, he started practicing butterfly stroke also. In an interview given to a national newspaper he said,
When I first switched from free to fly I was confident 50:50. At the end of the day, we made it happen. I still freestyle. I had some problems with my left shoulder where initially I didn’t have the strength to pull. But gradually I developed strength around my arms and neck. it is much better. When I can swim this OQT, I feel like I have regained all my strength from the past.”
- When asked from whom he takes his inspiration he said,
I learn from my role models and when people do good, I take good qualities from them and also learn from others not to make the same mistakes that others did. It’s not necessarily about learning from great people. Even common people have been some of my biggest inspirations.”
- Sajan Prakash gives full credit to his coach Pradeep Kumar for motivating him to achieve his goals in his career. He said,
You won’t believe, sometimes I don’t want to do it and he makes me do it. This gave us confidence in our workouts. Sometimes, I felt like I didn’t want to do anything, but Pradeep sir has this magic that he forces us to do it and survive those workouts. And when you’re in worse situations and do that, you gain confidence. When you go into a race fresh, it helps you a lot.”
Sajan Prakash with his coach
- Sajan Prakash faced a lot of difficulties during his career and training himself for the international level. He said that swimming as a sport in India did not get the attention it should have. Sajan revealed in an interview,
The facilities are not adequate. However, they are not that bad. We need a process where we have a national team that works continuously with everyone – coaches, physios, masseurs, etc. – coming together. If we continue to engage in those processes, our body adapts to them and that’s when excellence happens. We are all doing this work individually. The federation is trying its best. Since swimming is not so recognized in India, we do not get that much support from the government. Now that I have started something two days ago (meeting OQT), it has to take off from here. There is no looking back. The young swimmers have made very good progress. If we have the best scientific facilities in India, we will not have to go anywhere else and athletes will not face anything financially. It would be better for us if we can train peacefully in India.
- Sajan Prakash has acted in a documentary film titled “Lane 0”. The short documentary film focuses on the struggles of swimmers in developing countries. He appeared as himself in the film, showcasing his struggles during his journey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60uQ8O4lLZ4
- Sajan Prakash is interested in learning about sports science, so he enrolled for an online course for Post Graduate in Sports Science at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology.
- After setting a new national record to become the first Indian swimmer to qualify directly for the Tokyo Olympics, Sajan received many wishes from people across the country. Indian Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju congratulated Sajan on Twitter and Kerala Police posted on their Instagram account for his achievement.
Indian Sports Minister’s tweet for Sajan Prakash
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn