The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will mark the Games debut of India’s long-distance freestyle swimmer Aryan Nehra. At just 22, Nehra earned his place in the Indian squad after a record-breaking performance at the Senior National Aquatics Championships in Ahmedabad. He became the first Indian swimmer to break the eight-minute barrier in the men’s 800m freestyle, clocking 7:59.36 to win gold. He also rewrote the national record in the men’s 1500m freestyle with a time of 15:14.88, comfortably surpassing the Commonwealth Games qualifying standard. The Ahmedabad meet also secured his qualification for the 2026 Asian Games. Ranked India’s top swimmer in the 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle and 400m individual medley, Nehra heads to Glasgow as one of the country’s brightest prospects in long-distance swimming. Swimming journey Born in Ahmedabad to a civil servant father and an educator mother, Aryan Nehra’s swimming journey began in a hotel pool. Fascinated by the water, he took up competitive swimming at the age of nine, training under coach Kamlesh Nanavati at the Gujarat Vidyapith Academy. His younger sister, Anaya, …