Sharath Gayakwad ends London 2012 on a high note

Sets personal best timings in all four events at the 2012 Paralympic Games
5th September 2012, London: India's only swimmer at the Paralympic Games, Sharath Gayakwad, ended his campaign with yet another personal best. Participating in the qualifying event for the 200m Individual Medley, his fourth and final race of London 2012, Sharath completed the distance in a time of 2:38.17, 2 seconds better than his previous best and Olympic Qualification timing of 2:40.47, finishing 14th overall.
The Paralympic Games has proven to be an excellent platform for Sharath, where he set new personal best records in all four events he competed in, having finished the 100m butterfly event in 1:07.12, 5 seconds quicker than his previous best, finishing his 100m breaststroke in 1:18.20, 2 seconds faster than his qualification time and finishing the 50m freestyle event in 28.98s, half a second faster than his previous best. Happy with his performance, this young 21-year-old believes the best is yet to come.
Sharath's talent was spotted at the tender age of 9 by his coach John Christopher, who has since transformed him from a casual swimmer to an Olympian. With support from GoSports Foundation under the PACE Scholarships Programme, Sharath, in the month of June, underwent a high-performance training programme with renowned coach Mel Tantrum at the University of Western Australia. Sharath says, "A medal at the Games would have made me happier, but I am proud that I was able to achieve personal best timings in all the events, and I dedicate my performance in London to all my coaches."
< About the PACE (Promoting Aspiration, Commitment & Excellence) Scholarships:





The PACE Scholarships are awarded by the GoSports Foundation to talented, young athletes, in the age group of 13-21, to further its mission of empowering the next generation of sportsmen and women in India. The PACE Scholarships are given out annually, in the month of January.







The PACE Scholarships offer timely and meaningful intervention and encouragement for high performing sports-persons in their run up to becoming world class athletes. The PACE Scholarships are primarily merit-based scholarship, with need being a significant consideration, all others factors being equal.

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