AHMEDABAD—India recorded a historic day at the Asian Aquatics Championships on Monday, claiming seven medals in total, a feat headlined by a breakthrough in diving. Indiver Sairem and Willson Sing Ningthoujam became the country’s first-ever medallists in men’s synchronised diving, securing a bronze. Their podium finish, which came with a score of points, puts India in a strong position to qualify for the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, next year. They finished behind China’s gold-winning pair and Malaysia’s silver medallists.
Coach Credits Synchronisation Focus for Diving Breakthrough
The historic bronze for the Manipur duo was attributed to intensive training, particularly a focus on synchronised events over the last six months. Their Australian coach, Shannon Roy, praised their progress, stating, “I’ve been working with them for the past two years, and honestly, they were quite behind the rest of the world and Asia. But over the last six months, we’ve really put a focus on the synchronised events, platform and springboard events. We’ve spent a lot of time on a couple of camps overseas, in Malaysia, and at the World Championships in Singapore,” (credit: PTI).
Nataraj Extends Medal Streak in Record-Breaking Swimming Day
The swimming events added six more medals to India’s tally, including a national record. The men’s freestyle relay team—comprising Aneesh Gowda, Sajan Prakash, Shoan Ganguly, and Srihari Nataraj—secured silver with a national record time of seconds.
This marked the fourth medal—and second in a team event—for Srihari Nataraj, who had already claimed two individual silver medals (men’s freestyle and backstroke) and a medley relay bronze on the first day.
Further adding to the haul were:
- Kushagra Rawat, who won bronze in the grueling freestyle, finishing with a time of (Vietnam took gold).
- Rishabh Das, who added a bronze in the men’s backstroke with a time of (China won gold).
In total, the Indian contingent, which trained at a national camp in Naranpura, has accumulated seven medals so far—three silver and four bronze—on Day of the championships, a key event for Asian Games qualification.
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