Sajan Prakash: 5 things you didn't know about India's top swimmer

Sajan Prakash has become a household name after creating history by becoming the first ever Indian swimmer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 by meeting the FINA 'A cut' qualification time. Here are 5 things you probably didn't know about the swimmer.

#1 Where does he hail from?

Sajan Prakash was born in the Idukki district of Kerala. He began his schooling at St Paul's Matriculation Higher Secondary School and completed it at Jawahar Higher Secondary School in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu. Sajan is a Computer Applications graduate from Annamalai University, Chidambaram. He is currently a Commanding Officer in the Kerala Police Force.

# 2 How many national records does Sajan Prakash currently hold?

Sajan Prakash holds 11 national records and has been on top of the sport in the country for a long time. He won 6 golds and 3 silvers at the 2015 National Games in Kerala and finished the competition as the best athlete at the games that were held in Trivandrum, Kerala.

# 3 How many times has Sajan Prakash qualified for the Olympics before?

Sajan Prakash represented India at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 200 meter butterfly event, where he finished 28th. He became the first Indian in 2018 Asian Games to qualify for the finals of the 200 meter butterfly event in 32 years. Prakash will be going into his second straight Olympics as a swimmer for the Indian contingent, making him the only Indian to achieve this feat twice.

Confident Sajan Prakash eyes semi-finals and finals at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 (sportskeeda.com)

# 4 Sajan Prakash's injury layoff

Sajan Prakash becomes the 1st Indian swimmer to qualify for Tokyo 2020 as he clocks 1:56:38 in men’s 200m butterfly at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome. The qualification cut-off was 1:56:48: Sports Authority of India pic.twitter.com/CvRqqIimQZ

— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2021

Sajan Prakash suffered a career-threatening injury last year just before the pandemic, however the athlete managed to recover. However, the country went into lockdown immediately after and his preparations for the games were halted. The Swimming Federation of India then decided to move practice to Dubai, where he prepared for his long awaited comeback.

Speaking about his return from the injury, Sajan said:

"When i returned to the pool, I had lost 50 percent of my belief but the other 50 percent, I knew, I could do it. But in sports it's that 1 percent that matters." Sajan said while speaking at a virtual press conference organized by SAI.

# 5 Sajan Prakash has been praised by many Indian celebrities and organizations

After his historic feat in Rome, Sajan was appreciated by the State of Kerala and many renowned celebrities. He received a reward of Rs 5 lakh from the Swimming Federation of India for clocking 1:56:38 seconds, which made him the first Indian ever to get an 'A cut qualification' for the games.

Swimmer Sajan Prakash creates history!He becomes first-ever Indian Swimmer to make Olympic 'A' Cut and qualify for the @Tokyo2020.#Cheer4India @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/hFJTVRYUt9

— Mann Ki Baat Updates मन की बात अपडेट्स (@mannkibaat) June 27, 2021

Kerala Police Force also tweeted their appreciation for the athlete and congratulated him on the huge success. On the official social media handle of Mann Ki Baat, PM Narendra Modi appreciated the swimmer for a phenomenal performance in Rome. His outstanding feat has helped him get nominated for the Arjuna Award by SFI.

SFI nominates #SajanPrakash for Arjuna, Kamlesh Nanavati for Dhyan Chand Read: https://t.co/MALIl78BoS#SwimmingFederationofIndia pic.twitter.com/j350ZCIok5

— TOI Sports (@toisports) July 3, 2021

In an interview with NDTV, Sajan said, "Having 2 A cuts for the 2020 Olympics, I think we are only going to move forward from here. And i think the government will provide support from now on and the more funding we have, the more sports science we apply to the sport, and we will excel from here."

Also Checkout: Tokyo Olympic 2021 Swimming Schedule