Himalaya Harbinger. Rudrapur Bureau.
The excitement at the 38th National Games continued on Day 6 of the Aquatics events, with swimmers delivering stellar performances and setting new records. The competition witnessed intense battles across multiple categories, as top athletes showcased their skills in pursuit of national glory.
In the Men’s 800m Freestyle Open, Delhi’s Kushagra Rawat clinched the gold with a time of 8:12.89, while Aryan Nehra from Gujarat secured the silver at 8:23.62. Karnataka’s Aneesh S Gowda claimed the bronze, clocking 8:24.39. The Women’s 400m Freestyle Open saw an impressive performance by Karnataka’s Dhinidhi Desinghu, who not only won gold but also set a new meet record with a time of 4:24.60. Delhi’s Bhavya Sachdeva took silver, finishing at 4:30.03, while Maharashtra’s Aditi Satish Hegde secured bronze with 4:35.34.
The Men’s 200m Medley Open witnessed Karnataka’s Shoan Ganguly winning gold with a time of 2:06.61, followed by Kerala’s Sajan Prakash (2:08.17) securing silver, and Gujarat’s Aryan Nehra (2:09.68) bagging the bronze. In the Women’s 200m Medley Open, Maharashtra’s Saanvi Deshwal topped the podium with a time of 2:24.90, while Tamil Nadu’s Shreenithi Natesan (2:27.92) and Chhattisgarh’s Bhumi Gupta (2:29.54) won silver and bronze, respectively.
The 50m Backstroke events were fiercely contested, with Karnataka’s Srihari Nataraj securing gold in the men’s category with a time of 26.09. Akash Mani, also from Karnataka, claimed silver (26.42), while Maharashtra’s Rishabh Das took bronze (26.45). In the women’s category, Karnataka’s Vihitha Nayana won gold in a close finish at 31.46, with West Bengal’s Soubrity Mondal (31.47) taking silver and Maharashtra’s Rujuta Rajadnya (31.50) securing bronze.
The Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay was another highlight of the day, with Karnataka’s team of Akash Mani, Nina Venkatesh, Dhinidhi Desinghu, and Srihari Nataraj clinching the gold with a time of 3:41.03. Maharashtra finished second at 3:43.38, while Tamil Nadu took bronze with 3:45.82.
In diving, Palak Sharma from Madhya Pradesh secured gold in the 1MT SB Women’s category with a score of 165.20. Tamil Nadu’s Mrunalini K won silver with 147.75, while Maharashtra’s Kshama Bangera took bronze with 147.15.
The Water Polo semifinals were equally thrilling. In the women’s category, Kerala defeated West Bengal 15-9, while Maharashtra edged past Karnataka with a 15-12 victory. In the men’s semifinals, Maharashtra dominated West Bengal 20-5, and SSCB triumphed over Kerala with a 14-11 win.
As the competition moves into its final day, anticipation is high for the upcoming championship clashes. The finals promise to deliver an action-packed conclusion to the Aquatics events at the 38th National Games.
