Karnataka's Swimmers Shine with Record-Breaking Wins at National Games Opening

Karnataka's swimmers excelled on day one of the 38th National Games 2025, capturing five gold medals and achieving a new meet record. Led by Srihari Nataraj, they dominated various events at the Syama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Complex, setting a competitive benchmark for the remaining games.

On the opening day of the 38th National Games 2025, Karnataka's swimmers made an impressive splash, securing five gold medals and setting a new meet record at the Syama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Complex. Spearheading the charge was Srihari Nataraj, who clinched victory in the 200m Freestyle with a time of 1:50.57, surpassing fellow competitors Aneesh S. Gowda from Karnataka and Kerala's Sajan Prakash, according to the event's official release.

The Women's 200m freestyle witnessed Karnataka's emerging star, Dhinidhi Desinghu, obliterating the National Games record with a time of 2:03.24, claiming gold. Bhavya Sachdeva from Delhi took second place, while Aditi Satish Hegde from Maharashtra secured bronze. In the Men's 100m butterfly, Tamil Nadu's Benediction Rohit narrowly missed the Games record but grabbed gold, leaving Maharashtra's Mihir Ambre with silver and Kerala's Sajan Prakash with bronze.

Karnataka's triumph continued in the Women's 100m butterfly, with Dhinidhi Desinghu adding another gold to her tally, clocking 1:03.62. Teammate Naisha Shetty secured silver, and Odisha's Shristi Upadhaya took bronze. The Men's 4x100m freestyle relay saw Karnataka's team, composed of Akash Mani, Chinatan S. Shetty, Aneesh S. Gowda, and Srihari Nataraj, establishing a new meet record to secure gold. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat followed in the second and third places, respectively.

The Women's 4x100m freestyle relay concluded with Karnataka's team, consisting of Nina Venkatesh, Shalini R. Dixit, Latiesha Mandana, and Dhinidhi Desinghu, clinching gold and setting the pace for Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. With Karnataka asserting dominance in the swimming category, they have set a formidable standard for the events to come. Excitement is expected to continue tomorrow as the games unfold.

(With inputs from agencies.)