Virdhawal Khade wins gold in 2018 Singapore National Championships
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 Singaporeanās key event which is the 50m fly on Saturday.
The Singapore National Championships 2018 was only a lung-opener for
Khade clocked 50.26, which was his seasonās 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 Singaporeanās key event ā 50m fly on Saturday. The 6ā2ā Indian had won the Asian Games bronze over the single lap āfly raceā in 2010. The 26-year-old from Kolhapur, who has been training at the Padukone-Dravid
āHeās 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.
āIām just happy heās chosen to come back and itās exciting heading into the Asian Games again,ā Ameen added.
āThere was absolutely no financial support
However, the itch to compete was back by mid-2017, and things came together for Khade, who Ameen reckoned has been stronger as heās 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
āAt 19, I knew he wasnāt physically completely developed and thereās quite a bit of growing ahead of you. Now heās come to terms with where he is in life, thereās maturity and heās much more focused. Heās a lot stronger physically, which Iād expected he would be by his mid-20s,ā Ameen explained.
āThe structure is top-grade at the Padukone-Dravid