Bhubaneswar: The 78th Senior National Aquatics Championships came to a thrilling conclusion at Kalinga Stadium on Thursday, with Karnataka’s Shoan Ganguly stealing the spotlight by setting a new national mark in the men’s 400m Individual Medley. Ganguly clocked 4:24.64, bettering Aryan Nehra’s 2023 national record of 4:25.62 and clinching the gold in style.
Ganguly’s feat brought the curtain down on a championship marked by speed, records, and stunning finishes. Representing Karnataka, Ganguly not only won gold but also set a new meet record. Madhya Pradesh’s Advait Page took silver with a time of 4:26.90, while Gujarat’s Aryan Nehra settled for bronze in 4:30.35.
Another standout event was the razor-thin finish in the men’s 100m backstroke, where Maharashtra’s Rishabh Das edged past Utkarsh Patil by a mere 16 microseconds. Das touched the wall in 56.13 seconds, ahead of Patil (56.29) and Karnataka’s Akash Mani (56.35). The national record of 55.10 seconds still belongs to Olympian Srihari Nataraj.
In the men’s 100m freestyle, Maharashtra’s Heer Gitesh Shah delivered a surprise gold with a time of 51.29 seconds. Karnataka’s Tanish George Mathew came a close second at 51.30, while Rishabh Das bagged another medal, clocking 51.43 to finish third.
Rishabh Das had already made headlines a day earlier by breaking Srihari Nataraj’s long-standing meet record in the 200m backstroke. His time of 2:00.65 not only secured gold but also met the World Championships B qualification mark. Nataraj’s earlier record of 2:02.29 was set in Bhopal in 2019.
Rohit Benediction also made his mark by achieving a world championship qualifying time in the 50m butterfly, striking gold with a blistering 24.11 seconds and recording the best Indian time in the process.
Karnataka emerged as the undisputed champion in the overall medal tally, securing a total of 41 medals — 16 gold, 11 silver, and 14 bronze. The state’s women swimmers dominated their section with 10 gold, four silver, and five bronze medals. Tamil Nadu finished second with 16 medals, including eight gold, while Maharashtra placed third with a total of 17 medals, including five gold.
The championship concluded with cheers, broken records, and India’s brightest swimming talents setting the stage for a strong international season ahead.
