Sajan Prakash Qualifies For Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games With Silver In Singapore
Sajan became the first Indian swimmer to make it to the 2026 Commonwealth Games to be hosted in Glasgow, writes SS Manoj
Published : March 23, 2026 at 8:26 PM IST
Thiruvananthapuram: Indian swimming ace Sajan Prakash confirmed his place at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games after clinching a silver medal in the men’s 200m butterfly at the Singapore National Age Group Championship on Sunday.
The two-time Olympian clocked 1 minute 57.09 seconds, comfortably breaching the qualification standard of 1:57.12s set by the Swimming Federation of India. His performance ensured an early ticket to Glasgow.
Gold in the event went to Kuan Hung-Wang, who finished in 1:56.18s, while India's Tirthyank Pegu secured bronze with a time of 2:00.96s.
Sajan, who represented India at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, created history by becoming the first Indian swimmer to achieve the prestigious Olympic 'A' qualification standard. The 33-year-old national record holder in the 200m butterfly (1:56.38s) continues to be one of the country's most dependable performers in the pool.
Speaking to ETV Bharat from Singapore, Sajan said, "Now that I have achieved qualification standards for the Commonwealth, I will immersively focus on bringing a medal to our country from Glasgow."
An officer with the Kerala Police based in Thiruvananthapuram, Sajan, added another medal to his campaign by finishing third in 200m individual medley with a time of 2:05.64s. Shoan Ganguly, 21, finished fourth in the same race (2:05.92s) but bounced back strongly in the 400m individual medley, claiming gold with an impressive 4:26.78s.
India's medal rush continued with Srihari Nataraj, a 2024 Paris Olympian, striking gold in the men’s 200m backstroke (2:03.07s) and adding silver in the 100m backstroke (55.75s). In the butterfly events, Benedicton Manickaraj finished runner-up in both the 100m butterfly (52.12s) and 50m butterfly (24.09s).
In the women’s section, Suvana Baskar Chetana, 23, of Dolphin Aquatics, Bengaluru, won gold in the 50m backstroke with a time of 29.77s. She also starred in the 100m backstroke, where India secured a one-two finish alongside compatriot Nina Venkatesh.
Among the juniors, Dhinidhi Desinghu, 16, delivered a strong showing by winning silver in the girls’ U-17 200m freestyle (2:04.27s) and finishing fourth in the 100m freestyle.
The others who represented India in the Singapore National Age Group Championship, which began last Tuesday, include Adhitya Dinesh, Mihir Ambre, Harsh Saroha, Likith SP, Heer Shah, Anand Anilkumar, Manavi Varma and Yadesh Babu.
Read More
