Rishabh Das Sets New National Record in 200m Backstroke at Asian Games 2026
Rishabh Das Shines in Swimming Events
On September 25, during the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, Rishabh Das concluded his swimming events by establishing a new national record in the men's 200m backstroke. He clocked an impressive time of 1:58.77, securing sixth place in the final.
The 19-year-old athlete surpassed his previous record of 1:59.84, which he achieved earlier this year.
Rishabh advanced to the final after finishing fourth in his heat, while his fellow swimmer Utkarsh Patil also qualified, placing ninth overall in the heats. Utkarsh finished seventh in the final with a time of 2:00.94, as reported by ESPN.
Although Rishabh's national record was a highlight for India on Day 6, the country did not earn any medals from the swimming events.
Sajan Prakash, who qualified for the men's 200m butterfly final by finishing third in his heat, ended up seventh in the final with a time of 1:58.42.
Dhanush Suresh placed seventh in his heat and 21st overall in the men's 50m breaststroke, missing the final, while Aneesh Sunil and Dhakshan Shashikumar finished 17th and 18th respectively in the men's 400m freestyle heats.
In other competitions on the sixth day, India secured several medals across various sports.
Gulveer Singh earned a silver medal in the men's 10,000m race, while Manpreet Kaur and Baranica Elangovan took home bronze in the women's shot put and pole vault respectively.
In shooting, Kamaljeet and Suruchi Inder Singh clinched gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, while Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil, and Niraj Kumar won silver in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions team event.
Manush Shah and Diya Chitale also secured bronze in mixed doubles table tennis, and Joshana Chinappa along with Velavan Senthilkumar guaranteed another medal for India in squash mixed doubles.
Both the men's and women's kabaddi teams progressed to the finals after defeating Thailand and Nepal respectively, while the women's hockey team triumphed over Japan with a score of 3-1 in their Pool B match.
By the end of Day 6, India had amassed a total of 23 medals, including two gold, nine silver, and twelve bronze, placing them 12th in the overall standings.