‘My award is a recognition for swimming itself’: Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash
KOCHI: Swimmer Sajan Prakash’s name is one that by now should have been familiar in every Indian household, but sadly, it is not so. His feats of achievement in Indian swimming are nothing short of unprecedented; being the only Indian swimmer to have been nominated for two consecutive Olympics is just one of many.
The recent announcement of him being poised to receive the prestigious Arjuna Award on January 17 would have created waves had he been involved in a sport like cricket, but it seems like waves are not meant to lash in the country when it comes to a sport that creates them, literally.
It is a sign of great level-headedness to be winning an award as monumental as the Arjuna Award, and still be pragmatic about the tangible elements that go into play. Sajan, who hails from Idukki attests, beginning by calling it ‘a huge win’ and goes on:
“The government is taking steps, I would request them if they can see different sports differently because the capacity or the intensity of sports are different in this country, where well-established sports get more recognition, more money, more everything, as swimming has not got its due yet (sic).” Sajan’s words, true as they are, are unfortunately not as unprecedented as his feats.
For years, myriad personalities in the country, with the common mass, have echoed this sentiment of discontent, with cricket enjoying a monopoly at the cost of disenfranchising other sports from the podia they deserve.
When asked about how the Arjuna Award measures up to the numerous records he has broken so far, Sajan, who is currently training at the JSW Centre in Ballari, is full of confident candour. “Records are meant to be broken,” Sajan, 31, quips, following the oft-repeated aphorism with an invocation to others: “I set a standard and I think the next generation will be more inspired to look at it, and break it.” Calling the ‘award a recognition for swimming itself’, he also reiteratingly highlights the bigger issue here.
It is noteworthy that Sajan, who first struck gold on a national level in 2015, has had a career long and illustrious enough to already be able to consider it as a stalwart in Indian swimming and indeed Indian sports in general. Such a glittering expanse allows him the balance to not just contextualise himself into the wider arena of Indian swimming and sports, but also simultaneously hold the door open for the next wave of aspiring swimmers.
Sajan’s success, unsurprisingly, is down to his hard work; in fact, this interview was conducted while he was in the gym, training. His current training regimen consists of ‘10 sessions a week’, including dry-land training. On the dietary front, his tips do not seem to be specialised, with him reiterating the core values of being aware of one’s allergies and reactions, and eating food that is clean.
His favourite stroke while growing up was ‘butterfly’, and it is the 200m butterfly format (solo/relay) that has yielded him the most gold. He mentions that his ‘life revolved around’ the 200m butterfly event during the Olympics in 2016 and 2020, but adds that he has ‘been a little versatile’ in incorporating all techniques of swimming, keeping in mind Indian standards for the sport.
Sajan is already looking two years ahead, to the Asian Games. He is careful and earnest in acknowledging the support that has enabled his ascent, especially mentioning his mother and his coach. The hungry never rest, and it is safe to say that his hunger for more laurels is far from being quenched. “So hopefully, in one and a half years, I’ll see what I can achieve,” he says.