An Armed Police Inspector in Kerala Police, has become the first Indian swimmer to qualify for Tokyo Olympics.
Sajan Prakash is a 27-year-old from Kerala who made history yesterday by being the first Indian to break the 'A' standard of international swimming, clocking 1:56.38 in the 200m butterfly yesterday, stated reports.
After Sajan Prakash's achievement, Kerala Police tweeted on its official handle and said that it was "a proud moment" for the country. What makes his achievement even more special is that over the past couple of years, Prakash battled a slipped disc in the neck.
The Swimming Federation of India tweeted, "Historic moment in Indian Swimming !!! Sajan Prakash breaks the glass ceiling clocks 1:56.38 an Olympic qualification time."
The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiu congratulated Prakash through a tweet which reads, "I congratulate @swim_sajan for becoming the 1st Indian swimmer to qualify for #Tokyo2020 as he clocks 1:56:38 in men's 200m butterfly at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome. It shows the commitment of our athletes towards making India proud.,"
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) June 26, 2021
In a press release the Swimmer said that he worked very hard for this, and he was confident with the way he had trained.
Prakash said, "I believed in myself and my Coach Pradeep Kumar. Pradeep Sir was the anchor and I owe this to him. I knew I had it in me, and I am glad I achieved it."
According to reports, Prakash will compete at the Tokyo Games alongside Maana Patel, who has been nominated for the Universality spots by the Swimming Federation of India.
This will be his second Olympics after representing India in the 2016 Rio Games.
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