New Delhi: Not long ago, Sajan Prakash was at the lowest, recovering from the discs that slipped in the neck, could not execute even one butterfly punch and miles away from the confidence that he could make ‘a’ cut for it.
Tokyo game.
Cut until now, Keralite is being praised for being the first Indian swimmer to get direct qualifications for the Olympics.
The 27-year-old is clocked 1:56:38 seconds at the 200m men’s butterfly event at Trophy Sette Colli in Rome to make ‘a’ cut for Tokyo’s match.
The magical turnaround began in August 2020.
Trapped in Thailand during locking, Sajan had not been inside the pond for seven to eight months.
To add to his physical injury, Sajan felt emotionally weak.
That’s when he decided to move to Dubai to practice under Pradeep Kumar coach, a decision that empowered him to write a new chapter in Indian swimming.
It all started in 2019 when Sajan felt pain in his neck but chose to ignore it.
Things that increase immediately and in the game of South Asia, he cannot move his left hand.
“Neck pain began during the World Championship in 2019, but I thought it would disappear like a miracle.
I took painkillers and swim after that I went for a lot of competition,” said Sajan PTI.
“In the saff game in Nepal on the day of my event, I could not raise his hand.
Then I finally went to scan and realize that I have a slip disk on my neck C4 C5 C6 which emits pain in my hand.” After completing rehabilitation, right when Sajan is ready to return to competition mode, the Kuncian stops the progress.
“I rested until the parade for four months when I was rehabilitation.
And then the lip occurred, I was in Thailand and did not have physical support.
In August I moved to Dubai, Physio My Richard, began to help me.
I can see the progress of my coach and His wife also helped me.
“Often considered the most difficult swim style, butterflies not only need good techniques but also strong muscles and sajans, who are still in pain, struggling with it.
“The first three months I can’t do single butterflies, I’m not confident at all because I can feel pain every time I jump in the pool.
I swim only freestyle and sometimes backstres, not pushing at all..
I am..
I Start swimming slowly, build.
“The priority is to be physically fit and strongly mentally.
“The first priority for me is to be healthy.
I was injured and not mentally strong.
Out of it is a big task for me.
Strengthening my body and being mentally strong is my first target to reach.” “I have 50-50 confidence when I began to swim in Dubai that I would make an Olympics.
Before I was injured, I used to give too much pressure on me to see the final results, think of time and that I need to reach the target.
“That makes me forget all the basic things, what should I Do, the skills that I have to do.
That mental and stress instability made me injury.
“Only in November-December that the pain subsided and sajan regained the confidence to return to the pool.
The results at Latvia Open in February, Sajan’s first Olympic qualifying meeting, renewed his belief that he was Can still get direct qualifications for Tokyo.
“When I went for the first Olympic qualification at Latvia, I didn’t practice much for the butterfly.
But when I went there and swimming under 2 minutes, the coach and I saw something good happened and we began to build it.
“Since then, he gradually develops, shaving more time to reach the ‘A’ standard last week.
But the initial reaction was 27 years old after swimming not from excitement but broken hearted.
“When looking at the time board I saw the results of the swimmer next to me and I saw 1.50.80 and I was like ‘no longer’.
Then I realized it wasn’t my time and when I saw my time I felt lighter on my shoulder, I cried.
“