Indian swimming finally has a new chapter to celebrate, and it comes courtesy of Bengaluru’s own Srihari Nataraj.
On a cool evening at the state-of-the-art Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad, the 24-year-old delivered a performance for the ages, winning silver in the men’s 200m freestyle at the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships.
His time of 1:48.47 not only opened India’s medal account at the continental meet but also ended a 16-year drought for India in swimming at this level, sparking celebrations across the country’s aquatic community.
The race itself was as dramatic as the history it created. Drawn in Lane 1, usually considered a challenging position for a medal push, Srihari showed no nerves and produced a perfectly balanced swim. Starting strongly to stay in contention through the first 100m, he maintained his rhythm with smooth, efficient strokes and timed his final surge to perfection.
His 1:48.47 finish was just 0.36 seconds outside his own National Record (1:48.11), underlining the consistency and peak form he has maintained throughout the year.
The event featured Asia’s top middle-distance swimmers, including the heavyweights from China and Japan who have dominated the sport for decades. That makes Srihari’s silver even more remarkable.
Racing alongside competitors with superior continental pedigrees, he refused to be overawed. Instead, the 24-year-old turned the home crowd’s energy into fuel, storming the last 50 metres to secure second place and send the packed Ahmedabad stands into raptures.
Breaking a 16-Year Barrier
The silver medal is India’s first podium finish at a major Asian-level swimming event since 2009, when Virdhawal Khade and Sandeep Sejwal captured medals at the Asian Swimming Championships. For a country where swimming has struggled to break into the continental elite despite producing talented individuals, this result feels like a breakthrough.
Srihari’s achievement is not an overnight miracle. Over the past decade, he has steadily risen through the ranks, becoming one of India’s most consistent performers in backstroke and freestyle events. A 2021 Olympian and multiple national record holder, he has trained extensively in international pools to sharpen his technique.
The 200m freestyle medal is particularly significant because it comes in a discipline traditionally dominated by East Asian powerhouses.
The Ahmedabad championships have already been hailed as a landmark event for Indian aquatics, and Srihari’s silver gave the home campaign the ideal start. The atmosphere inside the newly built Veer Savarkar Sports Complex was electric, with fans waving the tricolour and chanting throughout the final. As Srihari touched the wall for second place, the arena erupted in a celebration that reflected both relief and excitement.
Adding to the positive opening day for India, Dhinidhi Desinghu, the teenage sensation from Karnataka, also impressed in the women’s 200m freestyle final. She clocked a personal best and national record of 2:02.84 to finish fifth, an outstanding effort in a field that included multiple Asian Games medallists.
Her swim underscored the growing depth in Indian swimming, where younger athletes are beginning to match the continent’s best.
Srihari’s silver will inevitably raise expectations for the rest of the championships and beyond. India has entered a 40-member squad in Ahmedabad, with events in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and medley spread across the coming week.
The medal is not just a reward for Srihari’s years of dedication but also a boost for the entire team, many of whom are chasing qualifying standards for the 2026 Asian Games and future World Championships.
The timing of this success also aligns with India’s broader investment in aquatic sports. Over the past few years, improved training infrastructure, exposure to international competitions, and targeted support from federations have given elite swimmers better preparation. The Ahmedabad facility itself is a testament to this growth, offering world-class pools and technology to host a meet of this scale.
For Srihari Nataraj, this silver may just be the beginning. He remains entered in multiple events at the championships, including his signature backstroke races where he is a strong medal contender.
His immediate target will be to recover, refocus, and build on this momentum. Longer term, the focus will inevitably shift to the 2026 Asian Games and the 2027 World Championships, where he will aim to convert continental success into global competitiveness.
But for now, Sunday evening belongs to Srihari and Indian swimming. Sixteen years of waiting came to an end when he surged through the final stretch of the 200m freestyle, proving that perseverance, preparation, and belief can rewrite history.
As the tricolour waved proudly in the Ahmedabad night, Indian aquatics finally had its long-overdue reason to celebrate.
