Veteran Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash has returned to competitive swimming with a renewed sense of purpose, targeting podium finishes at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow — beginning on Thursday, 24 July 2026 — and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan in September. The 32-year-old says understanding the role of rest and recovery after a severe burnout following the Paris Olympics has been the defining factor in his comeback.

The Burnout That Changed Everything

Prakash stepped away from the pool after the Paris Olympics, describing his body as being in 'a big shock.' The break, he says, was not a retreat but a recalibration. 'Recovery and rest are part of training. It's not always pushing hard,' he said in a virtual interaction organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). 'Sometimes as you age and as you evolve, rest is very important, a crucial part of recovery. That is also part of training.'

The admission is significant coming from an athlete with over 26 years in competitive swimming. Prakash acknowledged that the physical capacity he had at 22 is fundamentally different from what his body demands at 32, and that the refusal to recognise that gap had pushed him to breaking point.

Qualifying for Glasgow and Aichi-Nagoya

Prakash has qualified for both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games by clearing the Swimming Federation of India's qualification standard in the men's 200m butterfly event. He arrived in Glasgow after completing training camps in Edinburgh and Sierra Nevada, Spain — a preparation block focused on endurance, aerobic foundation, and technical refinement specific to the single event he is now targeting.

'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,' Prakash said. 'We know those challenges and we have to just work on those minute changes.'

Sandeep Sejwal Steps In as Coach

A notable development in Prakash's comeback is his partnership with former teammate Sandeep Sejwal, an Asian Games medallist who is now his coach. Sejwal holds the distinction of being the last Indian swimmer to stand on a multi-sport event podium — making his guidance particularly relevant to Prakash's current ambitions.

'He understands the challenges faced locally and then he has better advice to give because he has been in the sport for long,' Prakash said. The two are working on a highly specific programme centred entirely on the 200m butterfly, with an emphasis on technical precision over volume.

Unfinished Business on the Podium

Prakash framed his motivation in clear terms: podium finishes at the Commonwealth and Asian Games remain goals he has not yet achieved, and he is unwilling to leave them unresolved. '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,' he said.

When asked whether these events could mark the end of his career, Prakash declined to speculate. 'I don't want to comment on that 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,' he said. Whether or not it is his swansong, Prakash's return signals that Indian swimming's most experienced voice is not done competing.