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Despite controversies and top athletes pulling out, the 35th National Games, the event had several positives that highlighted themselves. Swimming, in particular, had a major breakthrough with many promising youngsters coming to the fore.In fact, two swimmers were adjudged the best male and female athletes of this event. Sachin Tendulkar, who is the goodwill ambassador for the National Games, lauded the performance of young women swimmers. Tendulkar also said that the athletes deserve support and encouragement from all quarters.With the 2016 Rio Olympics fast approaching, let us see the five most prominent swimmers, who made it big in the National Games.
#5 Saloni Dalal (Karnataka)
The class seven student from Karnataka caught the attention of India, after she became the youngest medal winner in the 2015 National Games by winning bronze in the 200m breast-stroke. She was also a member of the silver medal winning 200 m relay team. Dallal teamed up with Anisha Gaonkar, Malika A Goanekar and Rutuja Pawar.
Inventure Academy, her training centre, said that she might even be the youngest swimmer across India as there is no age group for swimming.
Dalal also qualified to compete in 100m breast stroke where, she had the second best finish from Karnataka.
#4 Aakanksha Vora (Maharashtra)
Aakanksha Vora was honoured as the “Best Female Athlete’ of National Games 2015. She achieved this feat, after winning six medals, which included five golds and a silver.
Hailing from Maharashtra, Aakanksha had earlier made a name for herself by winning four gold medals and setting 2 national records in 1500m freestyle and 200m Individual Medley at the 39th Junior National Aquatic Championships. She was also adjudged as the best swimmer under the group two category.
A year prior to that, Aakanksha created a new mark in the 800m freestyle event, apart from winning eight gold medals in the same championship.
#3 Madhu P S, Kerala (Services)
This Kerala born Services swimmer has proven to be another bright prospect alongside Sajan Prakash. Madhu won 4 gold medals in 100m Back Stroke, 200m Back Stroke,200m Individual Medley and 50m Back Stroke.
Apart from creating two meet records on the penultimate day, he won gold in the 200m Individual medley. Madhu defeated the likes of Arvind Mani (Karnataka), Sandeep (Madhya Pradesh) and Likath S P (Karnataka) and Sajan Prakash (Kerala).
Last November, at the 68th National Aquatic Championship, Madhu created two national records in 50m and 100m backstroke. He secured three gold medals and a silver medal in total.
#2 Maana Patel (Gujarat)
Manna Patel, the young sensation from Gujarat, won two gold medals in 50m and 200m backstroke in this year’s national games. She set a meet record in 100 meters. She later went on to break her own record, a week later in the 60th National School Games in Rajkot finishing 43 seconds faster with a time of 1:07:19.
The 14-year old, burst onto the scene five years back at the Asia Age Group championship Tokyo, by breaking the national record in 50m and 100m back stroke. At the age of 13, she became the youngest player to break three national records at the Junior National Aquatics Championship in Hyderabad.
#1 Sajan Prakash (Kerala)
Sajan has already set his sights on 2016 Rio Olympics. He considers 400m freestyle, 1500m freestyle and 200m butterfly to be his stronger styles and has attained Olympic B standard in these events. His next goal will be to attain the “A” qualification fro 2016 Rio Olympics.
His exploits at the National Games is something which earned him attention from sport lovers across India. Prakash was rightly adjudged the best male athlete of the event. He won nine medals in total, which included six golds.
Sajan, who works for the Railways, created as many as five meet records at the event.
