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    A 16-Year Medal Drought Ends! Srihari Nataraj Clinches Historic Silver; Dhinidhi Bests Mark

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    By News18,Siddarth Sriram

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    A 16-Year Medal Drought Ends! Srihari Nataraj Clinches Historic Silver; Dhinidhi Bests Mark

    Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj put up a blistering lap in the Men’s 200m Freestyle final at the Asian Aquatics Championships, to clinch a historic Silver medal on Sunday.
    Nataraj, who clocked a solid timing of 1:48.47, came only behind China’s Haibo Xu, to earn his spot in the podium.

    ? SRIHARI NATARAJ CREATES HISTORY ❤️🤯
    India’s Srihari Nataraj clinched Silver Medal with solid timing of 1:48.47 in the Men’s 200m Freestyle at the Asian Aquatics Championships! ?
    INDIA’S FIRST CONTINENTAL SWIMMING MEDAL IN 16 YEARS, VERY WELL DONE SRIHARI ??? pic.twitter.com/1modC4NyRc
    — The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) September 28, 2025

    The last time India had reached the podium in this competition was in 2009, when Virdhawal Khade, Sandeep Sejwal, Rehan Poncha, and Aaron D’Souza combined to win seven medals.
    Just two months ago, Nataraj set a new ‘Best Indian Time’ at the FISU World University Games in Berlin, clocking 49.46 seconds in the 100m Freestyle—surpassing the 17-year-old national benchmark of Virdhawal Khade (49.47s).
    Dhinidhi Desinghu Sets New Indian Best
    15-year-old Indian swimming sensation Dhinidhi Desinghu also showed out in the Women’s 200m Freestyle final, with her strong fifth-place finish.
    Albeit out of medal contention, Dhinidhi produced a sensational swim in the final, clocking a personal best 2:02.84 to finish 5th overall — the fastest time ever by an Indian in this event.
    Historic Hosting
    The 11th edition of the Asian Aquatics Championships returned after a nine-year hiatus and marked India’s first time hosting the event.
    Held at the newly inaugurated Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, the competition features swimming, diving, water polo, and artistic swimming.
    Significance for India
    India had returned empty-handed from the previous two editions, making Nataraj’s silver a morale booster for the Indian contingent.
    With the 2026 Asian Games set to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, the 2025 Asian Aquatics Championships will provide a preface to what to expect in Japan next year.
    (more to follow…)

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