All posts tagged: Indian Swimming

Sajan Prakash finds new purpose under former rival Sandeep Sejwal

Sajan Prakash finds new purpose under former rival Sandeep Sejwal

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For years, two athletes from modest backgrounds in Delhi and Kerala set out to chase the same dream in different corners of Bengaluru. They left home young, battled financial struggles, endured exhausting training sessions and slowly carved out identities in a sport that rarely promised security. One became one of India’s finest breaststrokers and won an elusive Asian Games bronze medal in 2014. The other became the poster boy of Indian swimming and went on to represent the country at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But years after competing for the same Olympic spot, Sandeep Sejwal and Sajan Prakash are now on the same side of the lane. Supporting each other, not as rivals but as partners chasing one final dream. Sajan, who became the lone Indian swimmer to qualify for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games early this year, had returned to the pool last year after almost 7 months of break. “After the 2024 Olympics, it was a big downhill for me. I quit for almost 6 to 7 months and then went …

Rishabh Das becomes the first Indian to go sub-two minutes in 200m Backstroke

Rishabh Das becomes the first Indian to go sub-two minutes in 200m Backstroke

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Maharashtra swimmer Rishabh Das created history at the Sydney Open 2026 by becoming the first Indian to clock under two minutes in the 200m backstroke event. The young backstroke specialist recorded a time of 1:59.84 in Sydney, improving his own national record of 2:00.14 set earlier this year at the NSW State Open in March. His latest effort marked another milestone in Indian swimming, where breaking the two-minute barrier in the event had long remained elusive. 🚨#news l 🇮🇳 Rishabh Das breaks the 2-minute barrier in 200m Backstroke, setting Best Indian Time at the Sydney Open 2026🏆 The first Indian man to ever go sub-2 minutes (1:59.84) in the 200m Backstroke, surpassing his Previous best: 2:00.14 📸: Agnel’s Swimming#RishabhDas… pic.twitter.com/OxNqTtHIl7 — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) May 16, 2026 Japan’s Hidekazu Takehar won the event with a timing of 1:57.11, while the United States’ Lee Se-bom finished second in 1:57.27. Australia’s Stuart Swinburn claimed third place with a time of 1:58.04. Das finished fifth overall in the final but once again underlined his growing reputation as one …

When Khajan Singh Tokas ended India’s 35-year wait in swimming at 1986 Asian Games

When Khajan Singh Tokas ended India’s 35-year wait in swimming at 1986 Asian Games

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When Khajan Singh Tokas stepped onto the starting block for the men’s 200m butterfly at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, he carried the weight of a 35-year wait. Just over two minutes later he had rewritten Indian swimming history. For a brief moment, the arena seemed to fall away. He became the first Indian swimmer since 1951 and seventh overall to make the podium. “I remember after winning the medal I was so happy. After a gap of 35 years, I got a medal for India, a silver medal,” Khajan Singh told The Bridge on Wednesday. Putting his nostalgia into words, Khajan goes back to the quiet confidence that began building long before the final dive. A strong swim in the heats had already given him the confidence that a medal was possible. “When I swam my heat in the morning and qualified for lane 5, I was very sure in the evening that a medal was there. But whether it is gold, silver, or bronze that depends on the final swim,” the now 62-year-old …

Astha Choudhury sets Best Indian Time in 200m Butterfly at Singapore Nationals

Astha Choudhury sets Best Indian Time in 200m Butterfly at Singapore Nationals

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Astha Choudhury clocks a Best Indian Time in 200m Butterfly at the Singapore Nationals Age Group Swimming Championships on Tuesday. The 22-year-old improved on Apeksha Fernandes’ four-year record of 2:18.18s by more than a second, to finish second in the super final with 2:17.09s. She missed out on the gold medal in the overall section, finishing behind Japan’s Matsuura Yu (2:15.91s), but had a promising start to a very important year. However, Yu was competing mainly in the U17 category, and hence Astha also won a gold medal in the senior section, finishing at the top in the 18-and-over category. Earlier in the day, Astha clocked 2:18.37s in the preliminary round to finish first in her heat and qualify for the super final. Best Indian Time for Astha Choudhury at the Singapore National #Swimming Championships 🏊✨ She clocks 2:17.09 to improve on Apeksha Fernandes’ record of 2:18.18 in women’s 200m butterfly which was set 4 years ago. pic.twitter.com/qVh68IvDzl — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) March 17, 2026 India bagged 3 more medals on the day as Shirin …

Rishabh Das becomes the first Indian to go sub-two minutes in 200m Backstroke

Rishabh Das sinks National Record in 200m backstroke

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Maharashtra’s swimmer Rishabh Das set a new National Record in men’s 200m Backstroke at the 2026 NSW State Open Championships in Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Saturday. Rishabh clocked 2:00.14s to set the record and claim the bronze medal. He erased his own record of 2:00.69s set at the Senior national in Bhubaneswar last year. Stuart Swinburn (1:58.80s) and Henry Allan (1:59.45s) took home the gold and silver medals. Rishab’s effort is currently about 2 seconds slower than the 1:57.50s qualification standard set by the Swimming Federation of India for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Rishab is supported by IIS and is currently training in Sydney. He will return to India in April. Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and to view the original source, please visit the following link: Source link

Sajan Prakash pips Olympic medalist to take 200m butterfly gold

Sajan Prakash pips Olympic medalist to take 200m butterfly gold

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India’s ace swimmer Sajan Prakash and Advait Page finished on the podium in their respective events at the Dubai Open Swimming Championships in Dubai on Saturday. Sajan beat Olympic medalist and World Record holder Daiya Seto of Japan to win the men’s 200m butterfly gold with a time of 1:59.61. His personal best of 1:56.38s set in 2021 remains the national record. Sajan is being trained by Arjuna Awardee and Asian Games medalist turned coach Sandeep Sejwal. Meanwhile, Advait Page won a bronze in the men’s 1500m Freestyle. In the 400m Freestyle, Sajan clocked 4:02.94s and Advait clocked 4:09.77s to finish seventh and ninth, respectively. Olympic medalist James Guy won the gold with 3:49.27s In the girls 16 and above’s 400m Freestyle, Jahnabi Kashyap clocked 4:36.83s to finish tenth overall. The gold was won by Lojine Hamed of ALS with a time of 4:18.14s. Mannata Mishra clocked 35.07s in 50m Breast Stroke Girls 16 and above to finish 14th overall. Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. …

SFI’s criteria for 2026 Commonwealth Games sparks mixed response among Indian swimmers

SFI’s criteria for 2026 Commonwealth Games sparks mixed response among Indian swimmers

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With less than 200 days to go for the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, athletes across disciplines are focused on securing qualification marks. For Indian swimmers, however, the qualification process comes with a ‘mandatory’ clause following a recent decision by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI). The SFI has made participation at the senior national championships mandatory even for swimmers who have already achieved the qualification mark. In a circular detailing the qualification timings and conditions, the SFI stated: “Swimmers are required to participate in the 79th Senior National Championship 2026 in all events for which they wish to be selected for participation in the XXIII Commonwealth Games. This is applicable even if the swimmer has achieved the qualification time. The fastest times clocked in all eligible meets, including the Senior Nationals, shall be considered for qualification.” The circular also noted that qualification achieved between September 21, 2025 and June 30, 2026 would be considered, while granting the SFI selection committee “sole discretion of all matters, including interpretation of this document.” This year, swimmers have the …

1-year-old Veda Sarfare youngest to swim 100m

1-year-old Veda Sarfare youngest to swim 100m

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Veda Sarfare is only one year and nine months old. Toddlers her age are still exploring their surroundings, but Veda has already found her comfort in the swimming pool. Veda, who hails from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, has scripted her name in the India Book of Records by becoming the youngest to swim 100 metres. An email, dated November 25, confirms Veda as the ‘Youngest to swim 100 metres’ in the India Book of Records 2027. Veda was 1 year, 9 months and 10 days old when she completed 100 metres (four laps) at the municipal swimming pool in Ratnagiri in just 10 minutes and 8 seconds. “Your skills have been recognized, and after thorough verification by the Editorial Board of the India Book of Records, we have selected and approved only the best,” the email read. “The record for swimming 100 metres was set by Veda Paresh Sarfare (born on January 22, 2024) of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. She swam 100 metres (4 laps) across the length of a swimming pool (measuring 25 metres x 22 metres), …

Tamil Nadu breaks men’s 4x100m medley meet record

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Nithik Nathella, Danush Suresh, B Benedicton Rohit, and Adhithya Dinesh created a National Meet Record for Tamil Nadu by clocking 3:45.66 in the Men’s 4 x 100m Medley relay on the third day of the 77th Senior National Aquatic Championships 2024. They eclipsed the record of 3:47.22 set by the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) back in 2022. Karnataka’s Akash Mani, Vidith S Shankar, Karthikeyan Nair, and Srihari Nataraj also broke the record clocking 3:46.09 but finished second today. The International Aquatic Complex in Yemmekere, Mangaluru also witnessed Karnataka’s Aneesh S Gowda pull away from the rest of the pack as early as the second lap of the Men’s 1500m Freestyle. Dharshan S, also from Karnataka, followed him while the rest of the participants gradually fell behind. With five laps left in the race, Aneesh had opened a fair advantage and went on to finish first comfortably with a time of 16:06.11. Dharshan S came in second at 16:16.83. In the Women’s 800m Freestyle, Telangana’s Vritti Agarwal pulled the trigger in the very first lap …

Tamil Nadu breaks mixed 4x100m meet record

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Action continued on the second day of the 77th Senior National Aquatic Championships 2024 with renowned names shining across the 9 final events held at the International Aquatic Complex in Yemmekere, Mangaluru. The Mixed 4x100m Medley saw Tamil Nadu’s Pramiti Gnanasekaran, Danush Suresh, B Bendection Rohit, and Deeksha Sivakumar create a new meet record of 4:05.30. The record, clocking 4:06.84, was previously held by Maharashtra, created in 2023. This time around Rishabh Anupam Das, Saanvi Deshwal, Mihir Ambre, and Aditi Satish Hegde represented Maharashtra and finished second with 4:07.14. Vritti Agarwal, representing Telangana, took the lead in the initial laps of the Women’s 1500m Freestyle and held on to touch the pads at 17:45.63. Karnataka’s Shirin followed her in second place with a time of 17:50.61. Karnataka‘s Aneesh S Gowda broke away in the very first lap of the Men’s 800m Freestyle and was the first to finish with a time of 8:20.01. He was followed by Dharshan S, also from Karnataka, who finished in 8:27.69. The Women’s 200m Medley saw Manvai Varma, from Karnataka, …