JOIN USKhade taking it step by step
For a long time, Sebastian Xavier’s 50M freestyle national record of 22.89 seconds — set in 1998 — drew responses of incredulity from the followers of swimming in the country. And when a 17-year-old Veerdhawal Khade broke that decade-old record by clocking 22.55 seconds at the 2009 Senior Nationals in Thiruvananthapuram, more stunned reactions followed.
Though he was one of the youngest in the Indian contingent at the 2008 Beijing Olympics a year earlier, his record-breaking performance at the 2009 Nationals is still the first thing to pop up in your mind, when the Maharashtra swimmer is your topic of discussion.
Since then, Khade has gone on to become a big name in Indian swimming, enhancing his reputation with a bronze medal in the 50M butterfly at the 2010 Asian Games, besides setting a handful of national records. The 24-year-old Khade, who had a successful outing at the recent Senior Nationals in Rajkot — winning three gold medals, setting a national record and winning the best male swimmer prize — spoke to Deccan Herald about his career and his plans.
Excerpts:
You were just 16 when you took part in the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and now with another Games around the corner, what are your thoughts?
It’s always good to be reminded that I was one of the youngest at Beijing. But that was a time when I had hours of training under my belt, that’s not the case now. I was out of the pool for a while and now it’s been just a while that I have returned. Right now, I am not thinking about the Olympics. For the past 6-8 months I have been swimming well and training well. It’s been a good experience so far. I am improving from meet to meet.
The Maharashtra government appointed you as a tehsildar in 2012, which forced you to skip the pool. How did the break help you?
It was a good break, a much needed one. I was swimming straight from 1995 to 2012, so I needed this break. Mentally and physically it was very refreshing for me. I think training without a break can affect you in a negative manner, if you do not get the necessary break at the right time. I started again last year at the senior meet in Kolkata and since then I have only improved and I hope this continues in future too.
How would you describe your performances in Rajkot?
I am happy that I could win a few races and the national record is motivating. Though I was not expecting to win the best swimmer’s title, it felt good that I could manage that too, given the competition I had in the men’s section. Overall, it was good. I am getting in shape and like I said before, these meets are just a platform for me to prepare for the big one, Olympics.
Having missed the Olympic qualification mark in your events, which are the meets you are targetting now?
I haven’t thought about it yet. This (Senior National meet) was my last one for the year. My next one would be the South Asian Games (SAF Games), which is expected to be held in February. Depending on my performance there, we’ll take a call and decide on the future course.
Over the years the, qualification for events like the Olympics has become tougher. How difficult is it this time?
It’s difficult, with the marks getting tougher, especially in the 50M races. Though there are no drastic changes, it does keep changing and those fractions matter. It is a challenge, but at the same time, it’s motivating too. People keep improving and you have to push yourself to the limits to get the best out of you and be on par with the swimmers worldwide.
Indian swimmers have failed to make an impact on the global stage. Where do you think India lack when compared to their foreign counterparts?
It’s a serious problem and I have realised it after participating in various international events. Well to begin with, we don’t have many youngsters coming in. When I and Sandeep (Sejwal) started off in 2005-06, we were the youngest and the fastest swimmers in the country. We need more youngsters coming in if we want our standard to go up and be on par with those around the world. Moreover, our top swimmers need to compete against the big names in the world of swimming. I believe, that’s the only way we, as swimmers, can improve.
We now have won medals at the Asian Games, so the next goal should be to win multiple medals at the Asian level, be it the Asian Games or the Asian Championship. Though I can see that happen in at least 10 years from now, for the immediate future, I don’t see that many good swimmers coming up.