Virdhawal Khade wins gold in 2018 Singapore National Championships

Virdhawal Khade wins gold in 2018 Singapore National Championships

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Virdhawal Khade unexpectedly lit a flicker in the pool when he picked up a gold medal in the 2018 Singapore National Championships on Friday. Khade would go head to head against 100m butterfly Olympic champion Joseph Schooling in the Singaporeanā€™s key event which is the 50m fly on Saturday.

The Singapore National Championships 2018 was only a lung-opener for home favorite and the 100m butterfly Olympic champion Joseph Schooling. While Schooling didnā€™t quite live up to the expectations while competing in the 100m freestyle, Indiaā€™s Virdhawal Khade unexpectedly lit a flicker in the pool when he picked gold ahead of the Rio hero, late on Friday.

Khade clocked 50.26, which was his seasonā€™s best, with less than two months to go for the Asian Games. The Asian record over the 100m-free is 47.65 owned by Chinese Ning Zetao in 2014. Khade would again faceoff against Schooling in what is the Singaporeanā€™s key event ā€“ 50m fly on Saturday. The 6ā€™2ā€ Indian had won the Asian Games bronze over the single lap ā€˜fly raceā€™ in 2010. The 26-year-old from Kolhapur, who has been training at the Padukone-Dravid centre in Bangalore, had only last week qualified for the Asian Games.

ā€œHeā€™s been doing well in the freestyle and I was happy he was improving while we are in the middle of preparation for the Asian Games. But I did not expect him to beat an Olympic champ in a race. Though it is another event, Schooling is still a strong swimmer in freestyle, and a win against him is a psychological boost for Viru,ā€ coach Nihar Ameen said as quoted by Indian Express.

The race saw Khade in control of the lead for the whole time and unfettered by thoughts of how he was racing against a name that had pipped Michael Phelps two years ago. Around the same time, Khade had almost given up on his career and turned his back on the pool, not even following the Games, although, he did regret over an incomplete career.Ā Khade had been out of the sport for a long time, but Ameen reckoned that he has got his rhythm back.

ā€œIā€™m just happy heā€™s chosen to come back and itā€™s exciting heading into the Asian Games again,ā€ Ameen added.

ā€œThere was absolutely no financial support whatsovever for him when he left the sport. He had to take up the job that the Maharashtra government offered him, because he couldnā€™t keep on taking dole-outs from his father. We had hoped he would find a way to practice while keeping that job, but you canā€™t train for Olympics when youā€™re expected to be in office and far away from a decent pool,ā€ Ameen explained.

However, the itch to compete was back by mid-2017, and things came together for Khade, who Ameen reckoned has been stronger as heā€™s grown older after dropping off the curve. Ameen also claimed that Khade, for the first time in his life, has been given access to world-class facilities and the results are there to be seen.Ā 

ā€œAt 19, I knew he wasnā€™t physically completely developed and thereā€™s quite a bit of growing ahead of you. Now heā€™s come to terms with where he is in life, thereā€™s maturity and heā€™s much more focused. Heā€™s a lot stronger physically, which Iā€™d expected he would be by his mid-20s,ā€ Ameen explained.

ā€œThe structure is top-grade at the Padukone-Dravid centre. Everything from the pool, the gym, physios are all within 50 metres of each other. Even something as basic as FINA-recognised starting blocks was a rarity for him. Maybe, just two pools in India have it, and the Delhi ones are not maintained that well after the 2010 Games. So, to get everything together like state-of-the-art facilities other countries have access to, is something thatā€™s pushing him."

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