Champion swimmer Sajan Prakash, who was the only male swimmer from the country to qualify for the Rio Olympics, joined the Kerala Police on Thursday, a day before his departure for China to attend the World Police and Fire Games.

He was appointed as an inspector in the Special Armed Police upon completion of a three-month-long training programme. The 25-year-old, who created history at the 72nd National Senior Swimming Championships last year by setting a record in all the five events he competed in, will leave for China on Friday. The 2019 World Police and Fire Games is to be held in Chengdu from August 8 to 18.

As the rules of the biennial event stipulate that only active and retired law enforcement and fire service personnel are allowed to participate, Sajan’s appointment was done in a hurry. At a function held at the state police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday morning, DGP Loknath Behera handed over the official badge to Sajan. In the evening, he took charge as an inspector at the Police Training College (PTC) at Thycaud.

Sajan returned to Kerala only the other day after taking part in the 18th FINA World Aquatics Championships, held in Gwangju, South Korea, from July 12 to 28. He is one of the four sportspersons from the state who were given a job with Gazetted rank in the government service in recognition of their performance in the 2015 National Games. Apart from Sajan, shooter Elizabeth Susan Koshy has also been recruited as a Circle Inspector with the Kerala Armed Police.

Sajan, who has won five gold with meet records in the National Police Meet 2019, is one of India’s brightest medals prospects at Chengdu.

Idukki native Sajan had earlier rejected plum posts offered to him by the Indian Railways and the Income Tax Department in order to represent Kerala at national-level events.

In 2016, he become the first Indian ever to go below the two-minute-mark in the 200m butterfly stroke when he clocked 1:59.69 at the Age Group Long Course swimming meet – Division 1 – held in Hong Kong. It was this fabulous show that earned him a place in the Rio-bound Indian Olympic squad.

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