Swimmers Sandeep Sejwal and Virdhawal Khade aim to repeat Asian Games heroics

The 26-year-old, Virdhawal scripted history in the 2010 edition of the Asian Games in Guangzhou when he won a bronze medal in the 50m butterfly. Four years later, his compatriot, Sandeep achieved a similar feat by winning a bronze medal in 50m breaststroke in the next edition in Incheon. In June, Virdhawal beat Olympic champion Joseph Schooling at the Singapore National Swimming Championships to win the 100m freestyle gold medal. On the other hand, Sandeep bagged the 50m breaststroke gold.

In an interview with Scroll, the talented swimmers spoke about their achievements and the team’s chances in the Asian Games. Talking about the first medal he achieved at the Asian Games, Sandeep said that Virdhawal’s bronze medal in the 2010 edition motivated him a lot and helped him to stay focused until he achieved his goal (podium finish).

“My first Asian Games was in 2010 where Virdhawal won a bronze medal and I did not even qualify for the final round. His performance motivated me and I felt if he can do it, another swimmer from the country can do it as well. I started working hard. We did not have good facilities during that period but I still managed to stay focused and eventually won a medal,” Sandeep said.

Virdhawal, on the other hand, said that he did not realise how big an achievement it was to win a medal at the Asian Games. He revealed feeling sad about not winning more than one bronze during the competition and eventually (after coming back) he understood the importance of a podium finish at the Asian Games.

“To be honest, I did not realise and felt sad about just winning one bronze medal in the competition. It took a long time for me to sink in what I had achieved. A bronze medal at the international stage. But it was a special feeling to win a bronze medal at the Asian Games,” Virdhawal revealed.

When asked about their chances as a team in the upcoming season, Virdhawal said that the team could be compared to the 2010 Asian Games squad. He further stated that the youngsters were talented and were performing well at the age group level, but continuing those performances at the high-pressure senior level would clear a lot of doubts.

“This time’s squad is comparable to the squad that we took to Asian Games in 2010. Aaron D’Souza, Sandeep and myself, we were quite inexperienced back then but showed a lot of promise. And, this time the youngsters are performing well at the age group levels. But we need to know how well they can transition those performances to the highest level and handle the pressure,” Virdhawal said.