Twoโtime Olympian Srihari Natraj qualified for the menโs 50m backstroke final at the Asian Games 2026, clocking 25.27 seconds to finish third in his heat and ninth overall.
Two-time Olympian Shrihari Natraj has officially qualified for the 50m backstroke final at the 2026 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan. The Indian swimmer achieved immense success in the heats and will now compete in the final alongside some of Asia’s best swimmers.
India has kicked off its campaign at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with some events also taking place in Tokyo, Japan. The 499-strong contingent has already made strides, with athletes winning individual and team silver medals in their respective disciplines.
The Indian athletes will be keen to deliver their best-ever performance to help India ascend in the medal tally standings.
Natraj advances to final
Swimmer Natraj clocked 25.27 seconds to finish third in his heat, +57 behind the heat leader and joint ninth overall across all three heats, securing his place in the summit clash.
Rishabh Das, who finished sixth in the 100m backstroke on Sunday, missed the final by a whisker after clocking 25.41s. He finished 11th overall and ended up as a reserve.
The top ten swimmers from the heat earned a shot at qualifying for the final, with Natraj being among them.
More from SportsAkash, Geetesh miss out
In the men’s 50m freestyle, swimmers Akash Mani and Geetesh Shah finished 26th and 28th, respectively. Akash capped off the heats with 23.43 seconds, while Geetesh clocked 23.57 seconds to finish last.
Swimmer Danush Suresh also failed to qualify for the 100m backstroke final upon finishing in 1:03.46 to come eighth in his heat and 22nd overall.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Youngbeom Kim set a new Games record after clocking 21.71 seconds.
The top eight swimmers will qualify for the summit clash.