Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj kicked off India’s medal haul at the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships in Ahmedabad with two impressive silver medals on Sunday. The 24-year-old grabbed silver in the men’s 200m freestyle and another in the 50m backstroke at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, marking a strong start for the host nation in swimming events.
In the 200m freestyle final, Srihari swam a sharp 1:48.47, finishing just behind China’s Haibo Xu, who claimed gold with a time of 1:46.83. Starting in lane one, Srihari matched Xu early on, hitting the first 50m in 25.10 seconds—only a fraction behind Xu’s 24.93. He kept the pressure with quick turns and powerful underwater kicks, clocking splits of 52.35 for the second 50m and 1:20.39 for the third. Xu pulled ahead slightly but couldn’t shake Srihari, who stayed competitive throughout.
Srihari followed that up in the 50m backstroke, touching the wall at 25.46 seconds for silver. China’s Gukailai Wang took gold in 25.11, but Srihari sprinted hard from the start, holding pace with the leader all the way.
Over in the women’s 200m freestyle, action heated up with a thrilling race. Japan’s Minami Yui jumped out front early, but teammate Hanari Runo overtook her at the halfway mark. As Yui tired, Vietnam’s T.M.T. Vo and India’s Dhinidhi Desinghu pushed forward into second and third. In the final push, Hong Kong’s Xintong Wang and Japan’s H. Tanimoto surged past Desinghu, who finished fifth at 2:02.84. That time shattered India’s national record of 2:02.97, a big win for the young swimmer.
India’s head coach Nihar Ameen praised Srihari’s double-medal day. “It’s incredible to snag two medals back-to-back on the opening day,” Ameen said. “Srihari’s eyeing a third in the relay tonight, and this is uncharted territory for us at the Asian Championships—a huge boost for Indian swimming.”
Ameen also explained the team’s strategy shift. “Srihari’s a backstroke specialist in the 50m and 100m, but we wanted him to branch into middle-distance events like the 200m freestyle. He’s got a natural feel for it, and this medal sets him up perfectly for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games next year.”
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