India ends record-breaking Asian Aquatics Championships with 13 medals
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India wrapped up their best-ever performance at the Asian Aquatics Championships with 13 medals, including four silver and nine bronze, finishing ninth overall in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
China dominated the competition with a staggering 49 medals, including 38 gold.
On the final day, India added four bronze medals to their tally. Bhavya Sachdeva, Sajan Prakash, Srihari Nataraj, and the men’s relay team were among the key medal winners.
In the women’s 400m freestyle, Bhavya claimed India’s first medal in the women’s category. She clocked 4:26.89 seconds to secure bronze. Vietnam’s Kha Nhi Nguyen (4:25.50) took silver, while Bhavya finished just behind.
Sajan Prakash delivered another podium finish in the men’s 200m butterfly. He was ahead of Chinese Taipei’s Kuan Hung Wang and Japan’s Ryo Kuratsuka midway but slipped to third in the final lap with a timing of 1:57.90 seconds.
Srihari Nataraj added a bronze in the men’s 100m backstroke. He turned in third at the 50m mark, narrowly ahead of teammate Rishabh Das. China’s Gukailai Wang (54.27) and Chinese Taipei’s Lu Lun Chuang (54.45) held their lead, leaving Srihari to finish third in 55.23 seconds. Rishabh ended in fourth.
The men’s 4x100m freestyle relay ended with a thrilling finish. Thomas Durai opened steadily, before Akash Mani powered India into second place. Rohit Benedicton fought hard in the third lap but was overtaken by Chinese Taipei. Anchoring the final stretch, Srihari pushed strongly but could not break into the top two. India secured bronze with a time of 3:21.49 seconds. China won in 3:20.24, while Chinese Taipei finished second at 3:20.59.
China’s supremacy was evident, finishing with 38 gold, eight silver, and three bronze medals at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex. Japan followed with 18 medals (5 gold, 9 silver, 4 bronze), and Hong Kong placed third with 14 medals (3 gold, 4 silver, 7 bronze).
The Championships will now move on to Artistic Swimming and Water Polo events from October 4.