Asian Games 2026: Srihari Nataraj Reaches 50m Backstroke Final as India Endures Mixed Morning in Swimming

India endured a mixed morning in the swimming pool at the Asian Games 2026, with Srihari Nataraj providing the biggest positive as he booked his place in the men’s 50m backstroke final. 

The two-time Olympian finished joint-ninth overall in the heats to secure one of the final berths. However, the qualification was accompanied by several disappointing results for the Indian swimming contingent. India missed the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay final by just 0.22 seconds, while Danush Suresh, Akash Mani and Heer Gitesh Shah were unable to progress from their respective individual heats.

Srihari Nataraj emerged as the standout Indian performer of the session after clocking 25.37 seconds in the men’s 50m backstroke heats. Competing in Heat 2, Nataraj finished third behind China’s Wang Zicheng and Indonesia’s Jason Yusuf. Wang won the heat in 24.80 seconds, while Yusuf touched in 25.13 seconds. Nataraj followed in 25.37 seconds.

The Indian swimmer's time was enough to place him joint-ninth overall, securing his place in the final. The qualification was particularly significant given the extremely tight margins separating the swimmers. Nataraj was only 0.24 seconds behind Yusuf, while the gap between Wang and the Indian was 0.57 seconds.

Nataraj’s qualification gives India a chance to challenge for a strong result in the final. His final is scheduled for 1:30 PM IST. Rishabh Das also produced a competitive performance, clocking 25.41 seconds. However, that time placed him outside the final qualification positions, leaving him as the first reserve.

The narrow margins underline how little separated the Indian swimmers from the final places. While Nataraj made the cut, Das will have to wait for any withdrawals before knowing whether he gets an opportunity to compete in the final.

India narrowly misses 4x200m freestyle final

The Indian men’s 4x200m freestyle relay quartet of Aneesh Gowda, Sajan Prakash, Vedaant Madhavan and Dhakshan Shashikumar finished ninth among 13 teams in the heats. India recorded a time of 7:24.32, falling just short of qualification for the final.

The margin was particularly frustrating, with Qatar claiming the final qualifying position just 0.22 seconds ahead of India. For a relay event decided over eight laps of the pool, such a small difference illustrates how closely contested the qualification battle was. India ultimately had to settle for ninth place despite remaining within touching distance of the final.

The result will nevertheless provide valuable competitive experience to a quartet featuring a mix of established swimmers and emerging talent.

India’s Danush Suresh also saw his campaign in the men’s 100m breaststroke come to an end in the heats. Suresh clocked 1:03.46, finishing 22nd overall and failing to advance to the final. With qualification determined by the fastest times across the heats, Suresh was unable to close the gap on the swimmers occupying the final positions.

The performance adds to a difficult individual session for the Indian breaststroke contingent, although the experience will be important for Suresh as he continues competing at the continental level.

Akash Mani and Heer Shah exit in 50m freestyle

India also failed to secure a finalist in the men’s 50m freestyle. Akash Mani clocked 23.43 seconds to finish 26th overall, while Heer Gitesh Shah recorded 23.57 seconds and finished 28th.

Neither swimmer was able to progress beyond the heats, bringing India’s participation in the event to an early conclusion. The results highlight the competitiveness of sprint swimming at the Asian Games, where small improvements in reaction time, underwater phases and finishing speed can make the difference between advancing and exiting in the heats.

With multiple Indian swimmers and the men’s relay team falling short of their respective finals, Srihari Nataraj’s qualification provides the Indian contingent with an important opportunity to finish the session on a positive note.

His 25.37-second swim was enough to put him into the final despite the narrow margins separating the qualifiers. With the final now ahead, Nataraj will look to convert his qualification into a strong performance on the Asian Games stage.

For India, the focus now shifts to the 50m backstroke final, where Nataraj will carry the country’s swimming hopes after a morning that otherwise produced more near-misses than breakthroughs.