Srihari Natraj Advances to Semifinals in 50m Backstroke at CWG 2026

Srihari Natraj Shines at Commonwealth Games

Glasgow [Scotland], July 24: Olympian swimmer Srihari Natraj has successfully reached the semifinals in the 50m backstroke event at the Commonwealth Games 2026, held on Friday.

In the heats, Srihari secured fifth place with a time of 25.52 seconds. Competing in the fourth heat out of five, he finished 14th overall, but his performance was sufficient to earn him a spot in the semifinals.

His qualifying time for the CWG was 25.39 seconds, while the fastest time recorded in the heats was 24.45 seconds by South Africa's Pietr Coetze.

The semifinals are scheduled for 12:30 AM on Friday.

India commenced its Commonwealth Games journey in Glasgow on Thursday, sending a contingent of 124 athletes aiming to excel in a significantly trimmed competition schedule. The CWG 2026 features 10 core sports along with six para-sports, but several disciplines that have historically contributed to India's medal tally, such as wrestling, hockey, and cricket, are notably absent, posing a challenge to India's medal prospects.

Indian athletes will compete in eight sports, including athletics, boxing, weightlifting, judo, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, bowls, and swimming. Additionally, para-athletes will participate in five events, including para-athletics, wheelchair basketball, para-powerlifting, para-swimming, and para-track cycling.

In other news, Pinki Singh and Rupa Rani Tirkey kicked off their CWG 2026 journey with a hard-fought win in the women's pairs event, while Putul Sonowal made headlines by defeating reigning world champion Ryan Bester from Canada in the men's singles lawn bowls competition at the Scottish Event Campus on Thursday.

The Commonwealth Games 2026 is taking place from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, with India fielding over 120 athletes across eight able-bodied sports and five para-sports, aiming to enhance its storied legacy at this prestigious multi-sport event.