Indian swimmers produced a series of stirring performances on the penultimate day of the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships, thrilling the home crowd at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex.
The highlight was the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team delivering a silver medal with a stunning new national record, while individual medals from Kushagra Rawat and Rishabh Das, along with a record-breaking swim from teenager Rujula Shashidhara, underlined India’s rising depth in the sport.
Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay: Silver and a Smashing National Record
The quartet of Aneesh Gowda, Sajan Prakash, Srihari Nataraj, and Shoan Ganguly produced one of India’s finest relay swims in recent memory, clocking 7:23.38 to win silver behind a strong Japanese team. Their time demolished the previous national record of 7:26.64 by over three seconds, marking a huge leap forward for Indian men’s relay swimming.
The race was a tightly fought contest, with Japan surging ahead early. India remained in the medal mix thanks to steady opening splits before Srihari Nataraj unleashed a breathtaking anchor leg of 1:48.29, the fastest of the quartet, to pull India comfortably into second place and within striking distance of gold for much of the final stretch. The other splits were Sajan Prakash (1:50.53), Shoan Ganguly (1:51.40), and Aneesh Gowda (1:53.16).
The silver takes India’s tally to seven medals at the Championships and reinforces the growing strength of India’s men’s relay program. Nataraj, already a national icon, once again demonstrated his ability to lift the team in pressure moments.
Earlier in the evening, distance specialist Kushagra Rawat delivered a gritty performance in the men’s 1500m freestyle to clinch bronze, timing 15:30.88. The Delhi swimmer, known for his relentless endurance, stayed with the leaders through the opening stages before consolidating third position with a strong final 300m. Although just shy of his personal best, Rawat’s swim earned India its fifth medal of the competition and highlighted his consistency in the gruelling distance event.
Rishabh Das Claims Backstroke Bronze
Adding to India’s medal rush, Rishabh Das produced a composed race in the men’s 200m backstroke to take bronze in 2:02.64. The national record holder, whose best stands at 2:00.69, maintained a smooth rhythm through the first 150m before digging deep to hold off late challenges. Rising talent Nithik Nathella narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth with 2:03.85, underlining India’s growing depth in backstroke. Das’s medal marked India’s sixth podium finish of the meet.
In the women’s events, 16-year-old Rujula Shashidhara continued to showcase her immense potential by breaking her own national record in the 50m freestyle, clocking 26.34 seconds to better her previous mark of 26.36. Competing in a stacked final, the Bengaluru teenager finished seventh overall but emerged as one of India’s brightest prospects in sprint freestyle. Her record swim was greeted with loud cheers from the Ahmedabad crowd, a signal of the faith Indian swimming fans have in the next generation.
With these results, India’s medal tally at the Championships has risen to seven, making this one of the country’s most successful continental campaigns in swimming. The relay silver, in particular, stands out as a landmark achievement, not only for the medal but for the commanding manner in which the team broke the national record.
The performances in Ahmedabad reflect the steady progress of Indian swimming, driven by improved training infrastructure, greater international exposure, and the rise of young talents like Rujula Shashidhara and Nithik Nathella alongside seasoned campaigners such as Srihari Nataraj and Sajan Prakash.
As the Championships head into their final day, the Indian team will look to carry this momentum forward, with hopes of adding to an already historic medal haul.
