Sharath Gayakwad sets yet another personal best in London

London, September 3, 2012:Sharath Gayakwad, India's only swimmer at the Paralympic Games in London, was in action today in the qualifying event for the 50m freestyle. Swimming in lane number 8 and in a heat that saw a new world record being set, Sharath completed the event with a personal best time of 28.98s. Though he shaved off half a second from his Olympic qualification time, he missed out on qualifying for the finals.  

Swimming at his third event at the games, Sharath has set his new personal best records in all three events he has competed in so far, having finished the 100m butterfly event in 1:07.12s, 5 seconds quicker than his previous best and finishing his 100m breaststroke race 2 seconds faster than his qualification time.

With support from GoSports Foundation under the PACE Scholarships Programme, Sharath honed his skills under the renowned Australian coach Mel Tantrum before heading to London. With help from Mel - Western Australia's Best Coach of the year for swimming in 2009 - Sharath has shown tremendous improvement in his performances at the Paralympic Games.

Sharath will compete in his final event - the 200m Individual Medley on September 5.

GoSports Foundation Press release