Madhubani boy Mohammad Shams Aalam sets record At World Para Swimming

Beating all odds Bihar boy Mohammad Shams Aalam Shaikh set the national record in the men's 200m Individual Medley SM5 event at the ongoing World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira, Portugal, late on Wednesday.
Aalam, from Rathaus village in Madhubani district, clocked 4:39.71 on way to bettering his previous mark of 4:43.39, also a national record, and finished sixth in the Heat 1 on Wednesday.
There were eight swimmers each in the two heats with the top four qualifying for the finals. Two heats combined, Aalam's ranking was 10th and he was the second reserve swimmer in case someone failed to compete in the finals due to any problem.
So, even though Aalam missed out on competing in the finals, he came very close to it and in the process bettered his own national record in this category.
"I am so happy with my performance at World Championships. It feels a little bad to miss the finals but considering this platform is next to Olympics only, I am very pleased to better my own mark here. In swimming it's very difficult to improve your timing even by a milli-second, so bettering my mark by almost four seconds is very satisfying," Aalam told TOI from Madeira.
Looking forward to better performances in future, Aalam further added, "I am looking forward to improving this record in near future with support from all around - my coaches, sponsors, friends and all."
Asked about his experience he gained from participating at this stage, the 35-year-old paraplegic swimmer said, "I am super boosted now. This exposure will motivate me to do better. Asian Para Games is later this year (October 9-15) and I hope to perform my best there on the back of this experience."
"What I will take from Madeira is how persons with disabilities are appreciated. Today at breakfast table I met a US swimmer without both hands and he was eating with his legs, it's so motivating. You see people without two limbs or four limbs and they are participating at his level and getting so much encouragement; that boosts you mentally," the Bihar swimmer added.
Though Aalam's feat was appreciated by Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS), government of India, and Sports Authority of India among many other notable personalities or bodies on social media, Bihar government or sports ministry was conspicuous by their apathy towards it till Thursday evening.
And though Aalam is happy to be recognized by many, his home state's indifference comes as a pinch of salt. "No response so far from Bihar government or sports and youth affairs department. It feels strange, as if they don't recognize me as someone from Bihar or my performance," a disheartened Aalam said with a wry smile on Thursday evening.
Later in day though, Bihar Foundation, an initiative of government of Bihar to facilitate interaction between the state and the diaspora - as its twitter bio says - acknowledged his feat on the social media platform.
"A legend in the making! Bihar's Mohammad Shams Aalam Shaikh has set the new national record in men's 200m Individual Medley SM5 event at the ongoing #WorldParaSwimming Championships 2022 in Portugal. Congratulation @IamShamsAalam on your incredible achievement!" wrote Bihar Foundation, retweeting a MYAS tweet.