One last push: Sajan Prakash finds new purpose under former rival Sandeep Sejwal

For years, two athletes from modest backgrounds in Delhi and Kerala set out to chase the same dream in different corners of Bengaluru. They left home young, battled financial struggles, endured exhausting training sessions and slowly carved out identities in a sport that rarely promised security.

One became one of India’s finest breaststrokers and won an elusive Asian Games bronze medal in 2014.    

The other became the poster boy of Indian swimming and went on to represent the country at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

But years after competing for the same Olympic spot, Sandeep Sejwal and Sajan Prakash are now on the same side of the lane. Supporting each other, not as rivals but as partners chasing one final dream.

Sajan, who became the lone Indian swimmer to qualify for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games early this year, had returned to the pool last year after almost 7 months of break.

“After the 2024 Olympics, it was a big downhill for me. I quit for almost 6 to 7 months and then went to regain strength. It was a challenge, but it was a required break for me,” Sajan Prakash told The Bridge.

“The purpose and the goal (to return) that many people don't know is that in 2014 (Asian Games), I was with my coach, Sandeep. He won a (bronze) medal. I still have in my heart the picture of him holding that medal. It was so inspiring. That goal of winning and being on the podium and doing it for our country is what I am looking forward to.

“I have competed in two Olympics, but I want to push my limits one last time,” Sajan, Assistant Commandant with Kerala Police, expressed.

At Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships early this year, Sajan won a silver medal, clocking 1:57.09 in 200m Butterfly, and becoming the only Indian swimmer to attain the Commonwealth Games qualification mark so far. The qualifying time in his event was 1:57.12s.

“Luckily, I got it in the first try itself. Being the only swimmer yet to be qualified and, now I can just focus on the Commonwealth Games, well, first up in July. If I cut down a second or more, I would be on the podium. I am very much positive,” Sajan said.

Sandeep Sejwal (left) from Western Railways and Sajan Prakash from South-Western Railways shared the champions trophy at Inter Railways in Kolkata in 2012. (Photo Credit: Special Arrangement)

‘Focus on recovery’

Asked about his coaching dynamic with Sajan, Sejwal said the partnership thrives on shared understanding, mutual respect and collective experience.

“Sajan is extremely tough, physically and mentally. If I tell him to do 10 repetitions of 200m butterfly, he’ll probably give me a look, but he’ll still do it. The bigger question for me as a coach is what happens after that session and how his body responds. That’s something we monitor very carefully now,” Sandeep Sejwal, head coach at Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) Bellary, said.

Speaking further on Sajan’s training evolution, Sejwal explained how age and recovery have made the team rethink the 32-year-old’s workload and preparation methods.

“Earlier, he would do 7km in the morning, another 7km in the evening, sleep, and be ready for the same thing the next day. But now we are trying different approaches in training and recovery, including stretching, ice baths, massages, and changes in diet to maintain steady energy levels and help him recover faster,” he pointed out.

Sajan’s current timing is around half a second off from his personal best of 1:56.38s, which he clocked five years back. But coach Sejwal’s focus is on peaking in Glasgow.

“If he wants to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games, he has to swim a fast 200m butterfly twice in a day (morning and evening sessions). That means recovery between races becomes critical, and the same applies for the Asian Games,” Sejwal mentioned.

Sajan will be competing in the three-leg Mare Nostrum Swim Tour, featuring Olympians and World Record holders, in Monaco (May 23-24), Canet (May 27-28) and Barcelona (May 29-30) before heading to a three-week high altitude camp in Sierra Nevada (Spain) and another three-week camp in the UK.