Glasgow, July 28: Srihari Nataraj has kept India’s hopes alive at the Commonwealth Games 2026 swimming competition by securing a spot in the men’s 100-meter backstroke semifinals. Meanwhile, veteran swimmer Sajan Prakash’s journey ended as he failed to qualify in the men’s 50-meter butterfly event.
Nataraj, a two-time Olympian and the national record holder for this event, easily advanced by finishing among the top 16 swimmers in his heat. The Bengaluru swimmer clocked a time of 55.58 seconds, placing fifth in his heat and thirteenth overall.
The 25-year-old athlete completed the first 50 meters in 26.26 seconds and finished the race in 55.58 seconds. Although this time was significantly slower than his personal best of 53.77 seconds set in 2021, it was sufficient to keep his medal hopes alive. Earlier, Nataraj was part of India’s men’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay team, which finished sixth in the finals.
In contrast, it was another challenging day for Sajan Prakash, as his Commonwealth Games journey did not progress beyond the preliminary rounds. Competing in the ninth and final heat of the men’s 50-meter butterfly, the 32-year-old swimmer finished the race in 24.94 seconds, placing eighth in his heat and twenty-eighth overall. This performance left him far behind the qualifying times and well off his national record of 23.83 seconds.
This result followed a disappointing performance for the two-time Olympian, who had finished eighth in the men’s 200-meter butterfly final on Monday with a time of 1:58.05 minutes. This too was below his personal best and national record of 1:56.38 minutes, making this campaign particularly challenging for one of India’s most experienced swimmers.
With Nataraj advancing to the semifinals, the hopes of India in the pool now largely rest on this backstroke specialist, as he approaches the possibility of becoming the second Indian swimmer to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games. The first was Prashant Karmakar, who won a bronze medal in the men’s 50-meter freestyle S9 para event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
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