Sebastian Xavier

Sebastian was born to Manamayil family in Edathua in the Alappuzha district of Kerala state. He did his schooling in St. Aloysius High School, Edathua. During his time with St. Aloysius College, Edathua Sebastian brought his talent to the limelight and prepared for his emergence as a senior swimmer. He later joined Indian Railways, which allowed for his further achievements in national and international levels.

He was the fastest swimmer of India for more than a decade. He held the national record of 22.89 seconds in 50 meters freestyle swimming for 11 years from 1998 to 2009 [1][2] in addition to several other national records during his career. He represented India in the 1996 Olympic Games at Atlanta,[3] in two Asian Games and in several South Asian Games (SAF) games. Sebastian won 36 gold medals at the SAF Games, SAF Championships and Asia Pacific meets and 66 gold medals in the national meets. He received the Arjuna Award in 2001.[4]

Sebastian is married to former Indian athlete Molly Chacko and the couple works with Southern Railways.[5]