How did Sajan Prakash perform at Tokyo Olympics? A detailed look at the Indian swimmer's performance at the previous Olympic Games

Sajan Prakash is an Indian swimmer, specializing in freestyle, butterfly, and medley events. He holds the distinction of being the first Indian swimmer to compete in two Olympics, taking part in both the Rio and Tokyo Games.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, he competed in the men's 100m butterfly heats, finishing 46th out of 55 swimmers at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. The 30-year-old swam in Lane 5 of heat 2, with a time of 53.45 seconds, just 0.06 seconds behind the heat leader Abeiku Jackson.

His time was nearly two-tenths slower than his personal best of 53.27 seconds and it was insufficient to book a berth in the semi-finals. Earlier, in the 200m butterfly event, he finished 24th out of 38 participants, clocking 1:57.22 seconds.

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A look at Sajan Prakash's stellar career achievements

Sajan Prakash has showcased his prowess in various national and international competitions. The swimmer from Kerala made an impact on Indian swimming and will be remembered as the first Indian swimmer to gain a straight qualifying to the Olympics.

At the 2021 Sette Colli Trophy in Rome, Sajan Prakash set a new national record of 1:56.38 seconds in the men's 200m butterfly. This time fell below the Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) of 1:56.48 seconds, guaranteeing his spot at the Tokyo Olympics.

In addition, he earlier won a gold medal in the men's 200m butterfly event at the FINA-accredited Olympic Qualifying event.

Prakash has competed in the 100m and 200m butterfly events, 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, and 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 2018 Asian Games. The Kerala-born swimmer finished in 5th position in the 200m Butterfly with a time of 1:57.75.

Meanwhile, in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, he reached the final and finished in eighth position. Furthermore, he finished eighth in the finals of the 200m butterfly event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.