IMAGE: Srihari Nataraj dazzles in 200m freestyle, wins silver in Asian Aquatics. Photograph: Srihari Nataraj/Instagram
Ace Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj dazzled on the opening day of the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships, clinching the 200m freestyle and 50m backstroke silver medals to become the first Indian swimmer to win two continental medals in a single edition of the competition, in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
This is also the first time in 16 years that India has won a medal in the elite continental competition.
However, India’s up-and-coming teenage swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu missed out on a podium finish in women’s 200m freestyle, finishing fifth after qualifying for the final from Heat 1. She clocked 2:02.84 seconds.
Srihari clocked 1:48.47 seconds to finish behind 17-year-old Chinese Xu Haibo, who timed 1:46.83 seconds and was 1.64 second faster than the tall 24-year-old Indian, who has represented the country at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Indian, however, could not improve upon the national record of 1:48.22 seconds, which is also in his name.
Hinata Ando of Japan finished with a bronze, clocking 1:48.73 seconds.
Srihari then made history by winning another silver in 50m backstroke, clocking 25.46 seconds. Rishabh Das finished second with 25.98 seconds. China’s Wang Gukailai took the gold timing 25.11 seconds.
On Saturday, India’s head coach Nihar Ameen had expressed confidence in his wards winning 3-4 medals in the showpiece continental competition, and the 24-year-old Srihari did not disappoint by setting the tone for the other Indians.
The two-time Olympian, who earlier this year set the 100m freestyle national record at the FISU Summer World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, competed in Heat 2 in the morning session to qualify for 200m freestyle final behind Iran’s Mohammad Ghasemi, clocking 1:51.09.
The other Indian, Aneesh Sunil Kumar Gowda competing in Heat 4, could not make the grade finishing fourth in the race with a time of 1:52.62 seconds.
Srihari’s sterling performance follows his superb showing in the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand where he won nine gold and a silver across a mix of individual and relay events.
Teenage sensation Dhinidhi from Karnataka, just 15 years of age, clocked 2:04.86 seconds in Heat 1 to make the final but the strong field saw her finish fifth with China’s Luo Mingyu (2:01.31 seconds) taking the gold, followed by Thi My Tien of Vietnam (2:01.95) and Hong Kong’s Xintong Wang (2:02.30).
India’s Bhavya Sachdeva could not go beyond the heat, clocking 2:08.74 seconds.
Danush Suresh of India timed 2:19.81 seconds in men’s 200m breaststroke to finish seventh with China’s Haiyang Qin (2:09.46 seconds) clinching the gold medal.
Thanya Shadakshari of India finished eighth and last in women’s 200m breaststroke clocking 2:41.43 seconds, with Japan’s Mana Ishikawa (2:26.36 seconds) taking the gold and highlighting the chasm in the pool between India and countries like China and Japan.
India’s Benedicton Beniston missed a podium place, finishing fourth in men’s 100m butterfly, clocking 53.04 seconds. Bikram Changmai ended up eighth timing 54.53 seconds in the event with Kuan Hung Wang of Chinese-Taipei (52.41 seconds) taking the gold.
The women’s 100m butterfly final saw the two Indian finalists Astha Choudhury (1:03.50) and Shristi Upadhaya (1:05.45) finish seventh and eighth respectively.
A total of 40 swimmers including 20 men and 20 women from India are competing at the newly-built state-of-the-art Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura.
The Indian contingent has been based in Naranpura over the past month for the national coaching camp.
Over 1,100 swimmers, coaches and technical officials from 29 countries are here for the marquee event in the Asian Aquatics calendar, which will serve as a qualifying event for the Asian Games to be held in Nagoya, Japan next year.
