Srihari Nataraj Advances to 50m Backstroke Final at Asian Games 2026
Srihari Nataraj Shines in Swimming Heats
File image of Indian Veteran swimmer Srihari Natraj(Photo: @TheKhelIndia/X)
Tokyo, September 21: Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj has successfully qualified for the final of the men’s 50m backstroke at the Asian Games 2026, achieving a joint-ninth position in the heats with a time of 25.37 seconds.
Another competitor, Rishabh Das, finished just behind him in 10th place with a time of 25.41 seconds, making him the first reserve for the final.
In other events, Akash Mani and Heer Gitesh Shah did not advance to the men’s 50m freestyle final, finishing 26th and 28th overall, respectively. Akash recorded a time of 23.43 seconds, while Heer clocked 23.57 seconds.
During the men’s 100m breaststroke heats, Danush Suresh placed 22nd overall with a time of 1:03.46 seconds, which was not enough to qualify for the final.
The Indian relay team, consisting of Dhakshan Shashikumar, Sajan Prakash, Aneesh Sunil, and Vedaant Mahadevan, also fell short, being named first reserves for the men’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay final.
India is competing in 14 individual swimming events, along with the men’s 4x100m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle, and 4x100m medley relays at the Asian Games.
Srihari and Sajan are among the most seasoned swimmers on the Indian team, with Srihari having represented the country at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, while Sajan participated in Rio 2016 and Tokyo.
Notably, India has not entered any female swimmers in the swimming events at the Asian Games 2026, mirroring the situation at the Commonwealth Games.
The nation aims to break a 12-year medal drought in swimming at the Asian Games, with Sandeep Sejwal being the last Indian swimmer to secure a medal, winning bronze in the 50m breaststroke at Incheon 2014.
Indian swimmers returned empty-handed from Hangzhou 2023, despite setting six national records.