Asian medallist Srihari Natraj produced a record-breaking performance at the National Aquatics Championships in Ahmedabad, shattering his own national record in the men’s 50m backstroke, defending his title successfully.
The 25-year-old swimmer clocked 25.21 seconds during the morning heats, beating his previous national record of 25.58 seconds set in 2019. He later secured the gold medal in the final with a time of 25.32 seconds.
Srihari’s performance met the qualification standards for both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, allowing him to build his skills and experience before important international competitions.
The championships witnessed another national record in the women’s events, with Saanvi Deshwal claiming gold in the 200m individual medley. The Maharashtra swimmer clocked 2:19.15 to surpass the previous national mark of 2:21.15 set by Hashika Ramachandra in 2023.
Karnataka set a new national record in the 4x100m freestyle mixed relay. The quartet of Akash Mani, Aneesh S. Gowda, Nina Venkatesh and Tanishi Gupta finished in 3:37.68, demolishing the previous record of 3:41.18 established by Karnataka in 2025.
Jashua Thomas of Tamil Nadu won the men’s 50m freestyle title, with Danush Suresh securing gold in the men’s 100m breaststroke. Karnataka added another relay title in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay.
With multiple record-breaking performances and qualification standards achieved, it has provided a significant boost for Indian swimming ahead of upcoming international events.
