The 79th National Swimming Championships kicked off on a high note at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Monday, with multiple records being rewritten on the opening day of competition.

The six-day event, running from June 16 to June 21, holds added significance as it serves as a key selection tournament for India’s squads for the upcoming Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

In the men’s 200m individual medley, Vinayak Vijay claimed the gold medal with a time of 2:04.13s. and created the new ‘Best Indian Time’ and national record.

Another record-breaking performance came in the women’s 1500m freestyle event. Aditi Hegde clocked 17:20.82s to win the gold medal and set a new ‘Best Indian Time’. She improved the 11-year-old record of Malavika Vishwanath, who had recorded 17:32.85s.

Akash Mani took the gold medal in the 100m freestyle event with a time of 50.40s, while B. Benedicton Rohit secured the silver medal with 50.79s. Heer Gitesh Shah finished third to claim the bronze medal with a time of 51.06s.

Karnataka capped off the day by setting a new national record in the 4x100m relay, finishing in 3:53.45s.

Meanwhile, Astha Choudhary delivered one of the standout performances of the day in the women’s 200m butterfly, winning gold in 2:18.37s and breaking a 17-year-old meet record.

Elsewhere, Akash Mani claimed the men’s 100m freestyle title with a time of 50.40s. B. Benedicton Rohit took silver in 50.79s, while Heer Gitesh Shah secured bronze in 51.06s.

Lineysha A. K. and Rishabh Das also won gold medals in the women’s 50m breaststroke and men’s 100m backstroke events, respectively.