Glasgow [Scotland], July 18 (ANI): India's senior swimmer Sajan Prakash said striking a balance between chasing personal best timings and winning medals is essential, stressing that while personal milestones reflect an athlete's progress, medals bring glory to the country on the world stage.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will get underway with the Opening Ceremony on July 23 in Glasgow. The multi-sport event will be held over 11 days across four existing venues, before concluding on August 2. The swimming events will be held from July 24 to July 29.

Ahead of the multi-sport event, speaking in an interview, felicitated the Sports Authority of India (SAI), saying personal best performances and medals complement each other.

'Personal best is always knowing that you have progressed. In training, a lot of times, that will replicate in the competition. And medals are very important for the country to glorify its name on the world stage. So goes hand in hand,' Sajan told reporters.

The 32-year-old Olympian also spoke about the responsibility of representing India as one of the country's senior swimmers ahead of the Commonwealth Games, saying the responsibility remains the same irrespective of seniority, though experience brings added accountability.

'I've always been responsible when you represent the country, irrespective of whether I'm senior or not. But definitely yes, I should know what to talk, when to talk and how to talk to the media and to everyone else. That is one. And the performance I need to be on point on the day of the race because there are many things which can spoil that, but I need to be much more prepared months before and days before. So definitely yes, I have the weight on my shoulders to take it forward,' he told reporters.

For those unversed, Prakash scripted history for Indian swimming by becoming the country's first swimmer to earn a direct qualification for the Olympic Games through the qualifying standard, according to Olympics.com.

Sajan secured his place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after producing a historic performance in the men's 200m butterfly at the 2021 Sette Colli Trophy in Rome. He clocked 1:56.38, setting a new national record and going below the Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) of 1:56.48 to seal a direct Olympic berth.

The achievement marked a watershed moment for Indian swimming, as no Indian swimmer had previously qualified for the Olympics by meeting the OQT, according to Olympics.com.

Tokyo 2020 was Sajan's second Olympic appearance after making his debut at the Rio 2016 Games. While his Rio participation came through the universality quota, his qualification for Tokyo was earned on merit through the Olympic qualifying standard, making him the first Indian swimmer to achieve the feat.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Sajan also became the first Indian swimmer to compete at two editions of the Olympic Games, further cementing his place in Indian swimming history. (ANI)