Srihari Sets NMR, Karnataka Rule the Relays: Day 2 Report from the 79th Senior Nationals
Srihari Nataraj broke his own 50m backstroke national record with 25.32 at the 79th Senior Nationals in Ahmedabad. Dhinidhi Desinghu won the Women 200m Freestyle, Saanvi Deshwal (born 2011) took the 200m Medley gold, and Karnataka completed a relay double including a new Mixed 4x100m NMR of 3:37.68.
Ahmedabad, 17 June 2026 — If Day 1 of the 79th Senior National Aquatics Championships set the bar impossibly high, Day 2 cleared it. Srihari Nataraj broke his own national record in the Men’s 50m Backstroke, Saanvi Deshwal broke the Women’s 200m Medley national record, Dhinidhi Desinghu powered to the Women’s 200m Freestyle title, Karnataka swept the relays, and a teenage Maharashtra swimmer quietly announced herself as one of the finest all-round swimmers in the country. The pool at Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad is producing some of the fastest Indian swims in history.
Srihari Nataraj — A New National Record and a Glasgow Statement
The most significant swim of Day 2 happened in the Men’s 50m Backstroke final. Srihari Nataraj of Karnataka clocked 25.32 — a new National Meet Record, breaking his own previous mark of 25.58 set at Bhopal in 2019. He won by a comfortable margin over Rishabh Anupam Das (Maharashtra, 25.69) and Vinayak Vijay (SSCB, 26.14).
The context makes this swim even more significant. The Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 qualification standard for the Men’s 50m Backstroke is 25.38 seconds. Srihari clocked 25.32 today — 0.06 seconds inside the standard. SwimmingDrive can confirm: with this swim, Srihari Nataraj has booked himself a ticket to Glasgow. A two-time Olympian in Tokyo and Paris, Srihari had told SAI media earlier this year that he was targeting a medal at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, noting that at 25, he was approaching his peak years as a swimmer. Today’s swim confirmed that trajectory is very much intact. Though, we are curious to know what was the symbolism of the celebration that Srihari did post the win. Any clues on that. Akash Mani (Karnataka) finished fifth at 26.28, underlining how much depth Karnataka has even in backstroke.
Dhinidhi Desinghu — 200m Freestyle Title, NMR Just Out of Reach
Images: SFITV YouTube Channel
The Women’s 200m Freestyle was the race the meet had been building towards since Day 1. Dhinidhi Desinghu of Karnataka — who had anchored the relay in a blazing 57.51 on Day 1 — delivered a commanding performance to win in 2:03.07. It is the fastest she has swum the event at Senior Nationals and the best Indian time of the year, but it falls just 0.10 seconds short of her own national record of 2:02.97 set at Bhubaneswar last year. The disappointment was evident on her face – despite winning the gold by a margin, Dhinidhi was very upset with the outcome. A true mark of an achiever.
Meanwhile, the field behind her was exceptional. Jahnabi Kashyap of Assam was second in 2:05.93 — a significant performance from the northeast. Aditi Satish Hegde, the 15/16-year-old Maharashtra swimmer who broke the 1500m NMR on Day 1, came third in 2:06.45, adding to an already remarkable championship. Bhavya Sachdeva (Delhi) was fourth at 2:06.95. Astha Choudhury, doubling after her butterfly NMR on Day 1, finished sixth at 2:08.09 — an impressive workload across two days.
Images: SFITV YouTube Channel
Saanvi Deshwal — Women’s 200m Medley Gold
The Women’s 200m Medley final belonged to Saanvi Deshwal of Maharashtra, born in 2011, clocked 2:19.15 to take gold — a new National Meet Record, breaking the 2:21.15 set by Hashika Ramachandra at Hyderabad in July 2023. This is a stunning result from a swimmer of her age. Tanishi Gupta of Karnataka (born 2010, 2:20.61) was second, and Thanya Shadakshari, also of Karnataka (born 2009, 2:23.22) third. All three medallists are teenagers — Saanvi at 14 or 15, Tanishi at 15 or 16, and Thanya at 16 or 17. A Senior Nationals 200m Medley podium swept entirely by teenagers is a statement about where Indian women’s swimming is heading.
Suvana C Baskar — Women’s 50m Backstroke
Suvana C Baskar of Karnataka defended her position as India’s leading women’s backstroke sprinter, winning the Women’s 50m Backstroke final in 29.85. The national record holder (29.63, Hyderabad 2023) didn’t break her own mark but won convincingly from Jiya Yadav of Uttar Pradesh (30.27) and Pratyasa Ray of Odisha (30.59). Our own SwimmingDrive slambooker – Vihitha Nayana Loganathan (Karnataka) finished sixth at 30.97.
Jashua Thomas — Men’s 50m Freestyle Upset
The Men’s 50m Freestyle final produced the day’s biggest upset. Jashua Thomas of Tamil Nadu — who entered the final as the fastest qualifier in Lane 4 — clocked 23.24 to win gold, ahead of Heer Gitesh Shah (Maharashtra, 23.33) and Heer Sunil Pitroda (Gujarat, 23.34). The national record of 22.44 by Virdhawal Khade from Bhopal 2019 remains the benchmark, but 23.24 is a strong domestic performance.
Danush Suresh — Men’s 100m Breaststroke
Tamil Nadu’s Danush Suresh took gold in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke in 1:02.19, edging out Karnataka’s Vidith S Shankar (1:02.26) by just 0.07 seconds in a tight finish. Likith Selvaraj Prema (SSCB) took bronze at 1:03.45. The national record of 1:01.97 by Sandeep Sejwal (2011) — now 15 years old — remains untouched, but this was competitive breaststroke by Indian standards.
Karnataka Conquer Both Relays
Karnataka completed a relay double on Day 2, adding to their Women’s 4x100m Freestyle NMR from Day 1. In the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay, Karnataka clocked 7:38.71 to win, just 1.06 seconds outside their own national record of 7:37.65 set in Bangalore in 2021. SSCB were second at 7:42.13 and Maharashtra third at 7:46.52.
The Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay was even more dominant. Karnataka won in 3:37.68 — a new National Meet Record, smashing their own NMR of 3:41.18 set at Bhubaneswar last year by 3.50 seconds. Tamil Nadu were second at 3:42.02, Maharashtra third at 3:44.80. Karnataka’s mixed relay squad — Akash M, Nina V, Tanishi G, Aneesh S — was simply in a different gear.
Day 2 Results at a Glance
| Event | Gold | State/Unit | Time | NMR? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s 50m Backstroke | Srihari Nataraj | Karnataka | 25.32 | ✓ NMR |
| Women’s 50m Backstroke | Suvana C Baskar | Karnataka | 29.85 | — |
| Men’s 50m Freestyle | Jashua Thomas | Tamil Nadu | 23.24 | — |
| Women’s 200m Freestyle | Dhinidhi Desinghu | Karnataka | 2:03.07 | — |
| Men’s 100m Breaststroke | Danush Suresh | Tamil Nadu | 1:02.19 | — |
| Women’s 200m Medley | Saanvi Deshwal | Maharashtra | 2:19.15 | ✓ NMR |
| Men’s 4x200m Free Relay | Karnataka | Karnataka | 7:38.71 | — |
| Mixed 4x100m Free Relay | Karnataka | Karnataka | 3:37.68 | ✓ NMR |
Day 2 Medal Tally
| State / Unit | 🏅 Gold | 🥈 Silver | 🥉 Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karnataka | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Tamil Nadu | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Maharashtra | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| SSCB | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Assam | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Odisha | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gujarat | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
What to Watch on Day 3
The meet rolls on with no sign of slowing. Day 3 brings the Women’s 100m Backstroke, where Suvana C Baskar will attempt to threaten her own national record of 29.63 over the longer distance. The Men’s 200m Freestyle will tell us whether Karnataka’s depth extends into the distance freestyle events, with Akash Mani and Aneesh S Gowda both expected in the mix. The Women’s 100m Freestyle is the event to watch most closely — Dhinidhi Desinghu, Rujula S, and Nina Venkatesh, all of Karnataka’s relay quartet, could go head-to-head, with the national record well within range. And if Rishabh Das and Srihari Nataraj both appear in their longer backstroke events, a showdown in the 200m back — where Rishabh went sub-2:00 at Sydney in May — would be the defining race of the meet so far.
