15 days to Tokyo Olympics: Former Olympian Khajan Singh Tokas wants Indian swimmers to target medals at 2022 Asiad 

Indian swimming reached a new high late last month when Sajan Prakash (200m butterly) and Srihari Nataraj (100m backstroke) met the Olympic Qualifying Time (‘A’ cut) for this month’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. This was something that was never ever done before by Indian swimmers.

In fact, even meeting the Olympic Selection Time (‘B’ cut) has proven to be difficult in the past and India’s representation for the quadrennial Games was through the Universality Quota.

Joining Prakash and Nataraj in Tokyo will be Maana Patel in the women’s 100m backstroke through the Universality Quota, making it three Indian swimmers at the 32nd Summer Olympics.

The swimming great of the 1980s and Asian Games silver medallist – Khajan Singh Tokas – felt that while these three traveling to the Olympics is an achievement, it should not become the pinnacle of Indian swimming.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, 57-year-old Tokas said:

“I strongly feel that the Tokyo Olympics is not the real target for us today. Maybe, in four to six years, we can think about medals at the Olympics. The three swimmers qualifying for the Olympic Games is a positive sign and India should now target the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China."

"There are eight to 10 swimmers in India who are doing an excellent job. By providing them the best training facilities, I am 100% sure that the Indian swimmers can do much better in the Asian Games.”

Tokas, who participated in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, said:

“The Tokyo Olympics will be an experience for them. It will be a motivation for other swimmers who always felt that Olympics was tough to qualify for. That barrier has been broken by these three. Having said that, Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games should be the target for Indian swimmers before even thinking of a medal at the Olympics.”

Tokas won a silver medal in the 200m butterfly in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, breaking the 35-year medal hiatus for India. Prior to that, the country had won six medals at the inaugural Asian Games in 1951 in New Delhi. After Tokas, India managed only two more medals at the Asian Games – Virdhawal Khade (50m butterfly, 2010 Guangzhou Asiad) and Sandeep Sejwal (50m backstroke, 2014 Incheon Asiad).

India are now well placed now to stand again on the podium at the Asian Games after eight years next year, Tokas said:

“I got an Asiad silver. After than Khade and Sejwal won a bronze each. Winning one medal here and there will not help us in the future. We should target five to eight medals in Asian Games. They can do it. If I could do it in the 1980s without much support, today’s swimmers can do it as they are getting much support like money, equipment, international exposure."

"In my time, there were no international tournaments. The swimming scene in India is set to change for the better,” said Tokas, who has been posted as DIG, CRPF in Navi Mumbai.

Asked why there was a huge gap between his Asian medal in 1986 and India winning another 24 years later, Tokas said:

“There was a mental block that Indian swimmers cannot win medals. Secondly, as it was a foregone conclusion that Indian swimmers have no chance in Asian games, there was no proper support from the government, from the parents, from the federation. That is why this Olympic qualification will help India win six to eight medals next year and if we win, support will come from all corners.”

Tokas recalled the challenges in his days as a leading swimmer in the country. He said:

“In my time, the only competitions I had were the senior national championships and my departmental competitions. When compatriots Wilson Cherian, Bula Choudhury and I went to the Asian Games in 1986, we went to Australia to train with ace coach Eric Arnold in New South Wales for about nine months."

"We were apprehensive about the swimmers there. Once we started training and participated in tournaments organised there, we started getting the confidence."

“Then, on returning to India, we were without a foreign coach and were training on our own. The three months were spoilt by this. Thereafter, the Australian coach agreed to come to India for three months and hence we got to train under him before the Asian Games."

"The improvement was so good that I dropped my time from 2:14s to 2:03s or 2:02s in 200m butterfly. Though the foreign coach was not allowed to go to the Asian Games because no foreign coach was allowed to go under the India flag that time, I gained in confidence that I managed 2:02.38s for silver in the Asian Games."

"I was so happy that my time dropped by 10 seconds in one year, and it was not easy. That changed my life.”

Tokas said that though he managed to qualify for the 1988 Olympics with a timing of 1:59s, he could not manage a medal. He admitted it was tough to win a medal as a 26-year-old then. Tokas said:

“It was very difficult to train alone in India. Now you have good coaches, good facilities. I knew medal at the Olympics was not possible because the government asked me to peak before the Games and qualify for the last six places. I had to peak at the right time to win an Olympic medal. You cannot peak whenever you like."

"I came to the peak just a month before and qualified for the 1988 Olympics. But the same timing was not possible in the Games. If I did the same time, I would have been a finalist in Olympics. The target those days was that since I got an Asian Games medal, I had to go to the Olympics. The situation was such that they wanted my best in qualifying and not at the Olympics.”

Tokas clocked 2:03.95s in the heats to finish 28th in 200m butterfly at the Seoul Games.

Tokas talks about modern day swimmers in India

Tokas has been following Indian swimmers’ progress and said that the present scenario would encourage parents to let their children take up swimming seriously.

“I see today’s swimmers doing an excellent job. Winning more medals at the Asian Games will change the Indian swimming. More parents will start allowing their children to take up swimming. We can target the Olympics. The government will also start supporting like it is supporting shooting now. However, one problem we face is that we don’t have continuous camps in India,” he said.

Tokas said Sajan and Srihari are fearless swimmers. He said:

“Sajan is constantly improving and is outstanding. Age may be a concern for the 27-year-old Sajan but if he does well, he can be managed. Srihari is doing an excellent job. He is only 20, has got good height and good strokes. Like Sajan, Srihari is also a strong fighter.”

Tokas had special praise for Mumbai swimmer Kenisha Gupta as well.

“Kenisha is outstanding. Today’s junior swimmers are doing an excellent job. She has got a good chance of winning Asian Games medal.”

It may be noted that Indian women have not qualified for the Asian Games since Shikha Tandon participated in 2006. Tokas feels Maana Patel and Kenisha Gupta are capable of winning medals next year.

Tokas has come a long way from his humble beginnings, when he was given a daily allowance of ₹26 daily allowance for food before the 1982 Asian Games national camp in Mumbai.

Tokas has made friends with champion Olympic gold medallists Matt Biondi and Pablo Morales of USA. In an era when today’s swimmers say that it is difficult to exchange notes and talk to fellow swimmers from other countries during competitions, Tokas cherishes his interactions with the champion swimmers from other countries.

Tokas recalled:

“The best thing that happened when I was training in Australia and participating in tournaments was that I was able to meet the world’s best swimmers there. Matt Biondi, Pablo Morales, to name just a few. We knew each other well."

"When we reached the Olympics, they said that on the last day, we will all meet at this particular pub on this particular road. And we all met and it was great talking to each other. They did not look at the lone Indian swimmer in me differently. There was no barrier between us. This is missing these days. Today’s swimmers rarely exchange notes with other swimmers.”

Tokas remembered an incident when Biondi, who made the Seoul Olympics his own by bagging five gold medals to add to his one gold from 1984 Los Angeles and two more relay gold in 1992 Barcelona.

“During a meet in Melbourne, I was sitting alone when Biondi came and asked why I was sitting alone and if I did not have any friends. I said, ‘you are my friend but I don’t have any Indian friends." He took me with him and a few others and made me feel comfortable. Those days, we had a good opportunity to talk to fellow swimmers as to how to improve,” Tokas said.