21-year-old Indian open water swimmer Army Pal made a splash at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, marking his second appearance in the prestigious event.
Hailing from India, where swimming is gaining popularity, Pal spoke about his performance, the benefits of the World Aquatics Scholarship programme, and his swimming career at World Aquatics after competing in the men’s 5km race.
He expressed his satisfaction with the open water swimming race environment and the race itself in Fukuoka and said, “It was pretty good and I enjoyed doing my best.”
“Last year, I competed in the Asian Championships and the World Championships in Budapest. Compared to last year, my swimming got better, and I felt I’ve made a lot of improvement,” he added.
Amy Pal is among the athletes benefiting from the World Aquatics Scholarship programme, which has provided him with new opportunities and a better training environment. He mentioned, “In India, we usually train only in pools, and we don’t have much experience swimming in the oceans, so I’m looking forward to being trained for that.”
Currently, he is training with his compatriot coach Bushan Kumar out of a training centre in his home country. While swimming is gaining more attention in India, the training environment for open water swimmers is not yet as advanced.
“We only train in pools, not in open water, and we don't get to travel to other countries for training,” he explained. “We usually have lakes where we conduct trials, but even for that, we train in the pools. We don't train and race for open water swimming in the ocean.”
In 2014, a 12-year-old Indian boy started swimming with the dream of emulating Michael Phelps. He made his debut on the world stage last year in Budapest, just 8 years after began swimming, but notably, it was in open water, not in a pool. He competed in the men’s 5km race at a lake in Budapest, which he considers one of his favourite open water swimming venues so far.
“When I was 12 years old, I started swimming, and now I am 21, so it’s been 9 years,” he shared. “Swimming is a significant sport in India, with a lot of swimmers, but our training at this level is not as comprehensive. But again, there are a lot of swimmers in India.”
India’s population has grown significantly in the past decades, the nation has the potential to become a powerhouse in various sports, including swimming, as the talent pool expands. With the support of the scholarship programme, Army Pal aims to compete in the national university competition and tries to earn a spot in the Asian Games and another World Championships in Doha next year.
When he asked about his pump-up song, he responded, “Believer” by Imagine Dragons, explaining, “I like the beats and music itself.” The young Indian swimmer believes in a bright future for Indian swimming and views his next challenge as a way to elevate his swimming career.
After the race, he has some time to enjoy the local flavour of Fukuoka. “I’ll buy some stuff and shoes. And eat Ramen. I love Ramen,” he said with a smile.