New Delhi: Ace Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj made a stunning start to the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships, claiming the silver medal in the 200m freestyle India’s first medal in the event at the continental competition in over 16 years. Clocking 1:48.47 seconds, the 24-year-old two-time Olympian finished behind 17-year-old Chinese sensation Xu Haibo, who touched the wall at 1:46.83 seconds. Japan’s Hinata Ando secured the bronze with a timing of 1:48.73 seconds.
Earlier in the morning session, Srihari qualified comfortably from Heat 2, finishing behind Iran’s Mohammad Ghasemi with a timing of 1:51.09 seconds. Fellow Indian Aneesh Sunil Kumar Gowda, competing in Heat 4, narrowly missed out on a finals spot, finishing fourth with 1:52.62 seconds. Srihari’s performance sets a strong tone for India’s 40-member contingent 20 men and 20 women competing at the state-of-the-art Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura.
The 11th Asian Aquatics Championships, hosting over 1,100 swimmers, coaches, and officials from 29 countries, also serves as a qualifier for next year’s Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. India’s head coach Nihar Ameen had expressed confidence in the team securing 3-4 medals, and Srihari delivered on that promise with his sterling performance, building on his impressive run at the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand, where he bagged nine golds and a silver across individual and relay events. Other top Indian medal prospects include Sajan Prakash in the men’s events and Dhinidhi Desinghu and Bhavya Sachdeva in the women’s events.
