Vedaant: Famous surname brings pressure, but I want my own identity in swimming

Vedaant Madhavan, son of actor R. Madhavan, is representing India at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. But ahead of his debut at the continental event, the young swimmer made it clear that he does not want his identity to be defined only by his famous surname.

In an interview with PTI, Vedaant spoke about the attention surrounding him, the pressure of representing India and the mindset he uses before stepping into the pool. The 21-year-old has already built a competitive swimming career of his own. According to World Aquatics, his record includes gold-medal performances at the Malaysian Invitational Age Group Swimming Championships and the Danish Open, along with strong performances at national and international meets.

His personal bests include 1:53.89 in the men's 200m freestyle and 15:50.85 in the 1500m freestyle.

Vedaant says performance matters more than the spotlight

22 Sept 2026 | 14:56

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Being the son of a well-known actor inevitably brings public attention, but Vedaant said he does not compete simply to become a headline. Speaking to PTI before the Asian Games, he said, “If you do good, you are in the spotlight; if you don't, you are not, no matter who you are.” He also made his own goal clear: “I want to do good for myself and my country as a swimmer.”

For Vedaant, the focus is therefore on performance rather than fame.

He said he never intended to seek the spotlight and does not pay much attention to whether his performances are making headlines.That attitude comes after years of building his swimming career away from the film industry. He began swimming competitively at a young age and later trained at the Glenmark Aquatic Foundation. His international record includes a bronze at the Thailand Age Group Championships, a silver in the relay at the Asian Age Group Championships and medals at the Danish, Latvian and Malaysian Opens.

In 2023, he won five gold medals at the Malaysian Invitational Age Group Swimming Championships.

He also represented India at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, where he finished fifth in the 1500m freestyle and served as India's flag bearer.

His winning mindset and the pressure of a famous surname

Vedaant also spoke about the mental side of competitive swimming. Rather than entering races with doubts about whether he can win, he prefers to convince himself beforehand that victory is possible.

“I feel if you want to succeed in life, you have to be kind of egotistical,” he said. Explaining his approach, he added, “If you shoot for the stars, you'll land on the moon. That's the kind of mindset I like to keep.” At the same time, Vedaant acknowledged that representing India comes with pressure, particularly because he is the son of a celebrity.

“There is always a chip on your shoulder, no matter who you are. But we are a country of almost 1 billion people, and everyone is watching,” he said.

He admitted that being R Madhavan's son can add another layer of pressure but said his training has taught him not to allow that pressure to affect his performance. Once he is in the pool, his focus becomes the race itself.

From long-distance swimming to a new Asian Games challenge

Vedaant entered the Asian Games as a long-distance specialist but changed his training approach ahead of the competition because he was set to compete in the 200m freestyle, an event outside his usual comfort zone.

“I've actually been training differently for the past few months. As you may know, I'm a long-distance specialist, but I'll be swimming the 200m freestyle at the Asian Games, which is outside my comfort zone,” he told PTI.

He increased his focus on weight training and strength work, particularly targeting his legs, kick and ankle flexibility. He said the changes were intended to help him become stronger and faster in the shorter event and contribute more effectively to the relay.At the Asian Games, Vedaant made his debut in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay alongside Sajan Prakash, Dhakshan Shashikumar and Aneesh Sunil. The Indian quartet finished ninth among 13 teams in the heats with a time of 7:24.32 and missed the final, with eighth-placed Qatar finishing just 0.10 seconds ahead. Vedaant's individual campaign continued with the 200m freestyle, where he missed the final. His own post summed up the narrow margin: “Missed finals by 0.2 and best Indian by 0.5, 200 free day after.

” His Asian Games journey reflects the identity he has been trying to establish for himself: not simply as R Madhavan's son, but as a swimmer judged by his own performance, discipline and determination.