Swimmer Sajan Prakash continued his purple patch by setting a new national record to qualify for the Olympic Games by breaching the ‘A’ standard time. Prakash clocked 1:49.73 seconds in the FINA-accredited Olympic Qualifier heats by beating the 2010 Asian Games bronze medallist Virdhawal Khade’s previous national mark of 1:49.86 seconds.
He then went on to clock 1:56:38 seconds in the men’s 200m butterfly event at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome, Italy. The 27-year-old swimmer from Kerala completed the run 0.10 seconds faster than the Games ‘A’ standard set at 1:56:48 seconds.
Prakash has continued his purple patch by breaking records recently. This is his third national mark this month. He created history by becoming the first-ever Indian swimmer to breach the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), clocking a record-breaking 1:56:38 seconds in the men’s 200m butterfly event on Saturday. With this significant sprint, Prakash rewrote his own national record of 1:56.96s that he had set at the Belgrade Trophy swimming competition last week.
Prakash is from Idukki, in Kerala. But he grew up in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu where his mother works. His mother, VJ Shantymol is also a former athlete. In the 2015 National Games, Prakash won six gold and three silver medals for Kerala to win the Best Athlete award. He qualified for the finals at the 2018 Asian Games in the 200m Butterfly, the first Indian to do so in 32 years. He is also employed by the Kerala Police.
