Sajan Prakash set national record in the 200m butterfly final.
Sajan Prakash finished a creditable fifth in the men’s 200m butterfly at the 18th Asian Games taking place in Indonesia. Prakash made a historic swimming final for India after 32 years but is not able to share the news with his family which is stuck in Kerala floods.
Starting in lane 3, Prakash clocked 1:57.75 seconds to set a national record in the 200m butterfly final with Japan’s Seto Daiya winning it comfortably with a timing of 1:54.53 seconds. Prakash had qualified as third fastest swimmer in the heats.
Speaking to Times of India after setting national record, Prakash said, “I still have no clue as to where they are and how they are. All I know is that they are being taken to some safe place. I pray for their safety.”
“It was tough but my mother, who is based in Tamil Nadu, thought it best that I don’t get disturbed in the run-up to my event. So I was told of it only after my grandmother and uncle had been shifted. I still haven’t been able to speak to them, though. I have made a historic final, but I don’t know how to tell hem yet,” Sajan said.
Prakash, who spent a sleepless night before his qualifier worrying for his family, said, “I had trained very hard for this day. I was very nervous. But I guess the experience of performing under pressure helped me see this through.”
“I had several months of tough training. We used to train so much that I could not move my body. It would ache. Under the renowned coach Graham Hill I would train like a beast. I tried different things to improve as a swimmer. I guess that helped me qualify for the final.”