Returning to competitive swimming after taking a break due to a severe ‘burnout’ post the Paris Olympics, veteran Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash believes that understanding the critical role of rest and recovery has been the defining pillar of his comeback as he set his sights on the podium finish at the Commonwealth Games
NEW DELHI — Returning to competitive swimming after taking a break due to a severe ‘burnout’ post the Paris Olympics, veteran Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash believes that understanding the critical role of rest and recovery has been the defining pillar of his comeback as he set his sights on the podium finish at the Commonwealth Games, starting in Glasgow on Thursday, and Asian Games in September.
Prakash, 32, has qualified for both the Commonwealth Games and the upcoming Asian Games, set to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, by breaching the Swimming Federation of India's qualification mark in the men's 200m butterfly event. He recently reached Glasgow after finishing extensive training camps in Edinburgh and Sierra Nevada, Spain.
"I would like to say that athletes, when they are training really hard and they put their heart and soul into performing and saving themselves, saving their family and bringing glory to India, they become very tolerant to pain and they don't understand much. If they are left alone, they don't understand what recovery is. Recovery and rest are part of training.
"It's not always pushing hard. When I took the break, I understood that my body was in a big shock and I had to recover and take that rest. Sometimes as you age and as you evolve, rest is very important, a crucial part of recovery. That is also part of training. So that helped me to come back again because all I think about is swimming and I find my inner strength in swimming competitively.
"So I just felt that there are many unfinished businesses. I always wanted to be on the podium of the Commonwealth and Asian Games, and I just want to give my best effort irrespective of what the result is. I think in that case, I will fulfill my dreams,” said Prakash while replying to a query from IANS in a virtual interaction organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Having spent over two-plus decades in the pool, Prakash noted that age has necessitated a fundamental shift in how he approaches his physical workload compared to his younger years. It also comes with the awareness of how tight the field will be at the Commonwealth Games.
“I've swam for almost 26 plus years now. I'm 32 years old and at every stage of life, I think we experience different things, adapt to the newer challenges and adjust to the modules. The same goes for anybody in anything in life and different sports have different programs, models.
“So what I did 10 years ago, I was 22 years old, my body's capacity and adaptations and recovery is in a much better place and 10 years later, here I am. I've done most of the work with endurance and aerobic buildups and the foundation is already built, now it's just a stepping stone on understanding what's necessary and what's my weakness and be more specific to that one event.
“Going to the Commonwealth Games, it's going to be only a fraction of seconds which will decide whether I'll be on the podium or not. So we know those challenges and we have to just work on those minute changes as over the period, you need to adapt and evolve as an athlete,” he added.
Prakash’s post-burnout return also saw him form an unexpected partnership with former teammate and Asian Games medallist Sandeep Sejwal, who is now serving as his coach. Sejwal remains the last Indian swimmer to stand on a multi-sporting event podium.
"He's been in this field and Indian sports for many years. He understands the challenges faced locally and then he has better advice to give because he has been in the sport for long and we work together on what specific programmes I have.
"I just completely would say I am on a different training program altogether, focusing only on the 200-metre butterfly. so. It's more technical. I can’t explain everything in one sitting, so technically we are in a different program working towards one specific event," he added.
When asked about his future after the upcoming major events are over, Prakash signed off by talking about his two current aims; being in the present and achieving a podium finish. “I had a tough time, there was so much fatigue and burnout, and I'm in a better position now with health and performance.
"I don't want to comment on that (if it’s his swansong) right now because I want to take one step at a time and see how this Commonwealth and the Asian Games goes and decide after all of this. But whenever we give a final push, we give our best effort. That's what I'm aiming for now."
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