The curtains came down on the swimming and diving events of the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex on Tuesday, with China once again stamping its dominance over the continental stage.
For India, however, it was a historic evening, as the team wrapped up its swimming campaign with four more bronze medals on the final day, lifting the overall tally to 13 their best-ever showing at the Asian Championships.
India closed the competition with four silver and nine bronze medals, finishing ninth in the overall standings, a significant leap from previous editions. China topped the table with a staggering 49 medals (38 gold, 8 silver, 3 bronze), followed by Japan (18 medals) and Hong Kong (14). Yet, India’s steady climb, powered by seasoned names and emerging talents, was the story of the week.
The last evening session turned into a showcase of India’s persistence.
Bhavya Sachdeva, competing in the Women’s 400m Freestyle, became the first Indian woman to climb the podium at these championships. Drawn in lane three, she paced her race smartly, staying close to the chasing pack while Japan’s Haruno Tanimoto (4:16.39) took an unassailable lead early.
Vietnam’s Kha Nhi Nguyen (4:25.50) pulled ahead in the closing stages, leaving Bhavya to touch home for bronze in 4:26.89. Compatriot Aditi Hegde, just 15 years old, impressed with a fifth-place finish in 4:34.83, showing that India’s next generation is beginning to make its mark.
Veteran Sajan Prakash, still a force at 31, kept India’s men’s campaign ticking with a bronze in the 200m Butterfly. After a relatively conservative opening 50m, he surged mid-race to stay in contention with Japan’s Ryo Kuratsuka and Chinese Taipei’s Kuan Hung Wang.
The last lap, however, saw Wang accelerate to gold in 1:56.63, followed by Kuratsuka (1:57.24). Sajan, clocking 1:57.90, was edged to third but secured his second medal of the meet, reinforcing his role as a pillar of Indian swimming.
The Men’s 100m Backstroke gave India another podium through Srihari Nataraj. Racing from lane four, Nataraj turned third at the halfway mark, with compatriot Rishabh Das close behind. Despite a strong finish, he could not reel in China’s Gukailai Wang (54.27) and Chinese Taipei’s Mu Lun Chuang (54.45), but his bronze time of 55.23 underlined his consistency at the continental level. Das narrowly missed out, finishing fourth.
The night ended with a dramatic Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay. Thomas Durai gave India a steady opening leg, before Akash Mani pushed the team into second place.
On the third lap, Rohit B. Benedicton was overtaken by Taipei, but Srihari Nataraj, anchoring the final leg, staged a spirited push for silver. Ultimately, China (3:19.93) and Chinese Taipei (3:20.59) held their ground, with India storming home for bronze in 3:21.49 a result greeted with raucous cheers from the home crowd.
China Unstoppable, India Breaks Ground
While China’s medal dominance was once again overwhelming, sweeping almost every gold across disciplines, India’s 13-medal haul marked a major shift in continental swimming. For perspective, India managed only six medals in the previous edition, and none in women’s events.
The emergence of names like Bhavya Sachdeva, the return to form of veterans like Sajan Prakash, and the continued reliability of Srihari Nataraj give Indian swimming a balanced look ahead of the World Championships and, in the longer term, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Diving Results: China Clear Leaders
On the diving boards, too, China ruled supreme. In the Men’s Platform final, Zilong Cheng (463.95) and Yunxuan Zhang (450.35) completed a one-two finish, while Uzbekistan’s Igor Myalin took bronze. In the Women’s 3m Springboard, China swept gold and silver through Linxi Ye (312.55) and Sijia Li (282.35), with Indonesia’s Gladies Lariesa G. Kore claiming bronze.
India, still in its early stages in diving development, did not feature among the podium finishers but gained valuable exposure at the continental level.
The Championships are far from over. Artistic Swimming and Water Polo events will continue from October 4, offering more opportunities for Asian nations to shine. For India, however, the swimming and diving chapter has already been written into the record books.
This campaign will be remembered not only for the medal count but also for the spread of success across men’s and women’s events, relays and individual disciplines, signaling that Indian aquatics is broadening its base.
As Indian swimmers left the pool deck on the final night in Ahmedabad, they carried with them more than just medals they carried proof that India can now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Asia’s elite in the pool.
Final Indian Medal Tally (Swimming & Diving): 13 medals – 4 Silver, 9 Bronze
With the countdown to Los Angeles 2028 already underway, this breakthrough performance could well be the springboard for Indian swimming’s long-awaited global surge.
