Srihari Natraj Advances to 50m Backstroke Final at Asian Games

At the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, swimmer Srihari Natraj has advanced to the finals of the men's 50m backstroke event. The Indian sepaktakraw team also secured a strong 2-0 victory against Japan in their opening match. However, the Wushu campaign faced setbacks, with Nyeman Wangsu finishing 15th in the women's changquan final and both Aparna Dahiya and Vikrant Baliyan exiting the Sanda competition. Read on for more details about these exciting events.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 21, 2026, 07:55 IST

Srihari Natraj Reaches 50m Backstroke Final

Swimmer Srihari Natraj successfully qualified for the finals of the men's 50m backstroke event during the ongoing Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday. In their respective heats, Srihari and Rishabh Das secured third and fourth places. Srihari recorded a time of 25.37 seconds, finishing +57 behind the heat leader, while Rishabh clocked in at 25.41 seconds, earning a spot as a reserve for the final. The top ten swimmers from the heats had the opportunity to qualify for the finals, with Srihari finishing joint-ninth overall across all heats.

Sepaktakraw Team Triumphs Over Japan

In sepaktakraw, the Indian team kicked off their three-match series against Japan in Group B with a convincing 2-0 victory. The match began with India trailing 3-6, but they fought back to narrow the gap to 5-6. Japan regained the lead at the timeout, ahead 10-5. However, India quickly scored five points after the timeout, leveling the score at 10-10. They ultimately secured the first set 15-13, overcoming a 5-10 deficit. The second set started evenly at 2-2, but India surged ahead with a remarkable 9-3 lead, eventually winning the set 15-9 and the match 2-0.

Wushu Campaign Faces Challenges

In the Wushu women's changquan final, Nyeman Wangsu finished in 15th place, continuing India's struggles in the sport. She scored 9.573, with 4.90 for quality of movement, 2.673 for overall performance, and 2.00 for degree of difficulty. The medals were claimed by Hong Kong, Macao, and Indonesia, with Hong Kong's Sham Hui Yu Lydia achieving a score of 9.713, followed closely by Macao's Sou Cho Man (9.710) and Indonesia's Widodo Eugenia Diva (9.706).

Sanda Athletes Exit the Competition

Earlier, Aparna Dahiya faced a 0-2 defeat against Iran's Sogand Sinkaeichetan in the women's 52kg Sanda Round of 16 on Sunday. Despite her previous gold medal win at the 11th Sanda World Cup in Macau, she lost both rounds by a score of 5-0, allowing Sinkaeichetan to advance. Additionally, Vikrant Baliyan was eliminated from the men's 75kg Sanda competition after a 0-2 loss to Iran's Soheil Mousavi, who dominated both rounds with a 5-0 score, concluding India's wushu campaign in Sanda.