Aryan Nehra creates history in 800m freestyle, qualifies for Commonwealth, Asian Games
Aryan Nehra became the first Indian to swim the men's 800m freestyle in under eight minutes at the National Aquatics Championships. The 7:59.36 effort secured Commonwealth and Asian Games qualification and underlined a strong week for Indian swimming.
Aryan Nehra etched his name into Indian swimming history on Saturday by becoming the country's first swimmer to break the eight-minute barrier in the men's 800m freestyle during the National Aquatics Championships. The Gujarat swimmer claimed the gold medal with a stunning effort of 7:59.36, eclipsing his own Best Indian Time of 8:00.76 that had stood since 2019.
The landmark swim also secured Nehra's qualification for next month's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Japan after he comfortably met the required standards. Earlier in the championships, Nehra had already rewritten the Best Indian Time in the men's 1500m freestyle while also achieving the Commonwealth Games qualification mark in that event. He had broken his record at the event as well to qualify for CWG.
Nehra joins a growing list of Indian swimmers to have booked spots for upcoming international competitions. Olympian Sajan Prakash qualified for the Commonwealth Games in the men's 200m butterfly, while Srihari Nataraj earned qualification for both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in the men's 50m backstroke.
The penultimate day of the championships witnessed several standout performances, with records continuing to fall across multiple events. Rujula S improved her own Best Indian Time in the women's 50m freestyle, touching the wall in 26.23 seconds to better the mark she had established last year.
Meanwhile, B. Benedicton Rohit enjoyed a record-breaking day in the men's 50m butterfly. After surpassing his previous national record of 24.11 seconds during the heats, he went even quicker in the final, clocking 23.63 seconds to clinch the gold medal and lower the national mark once again.
Under Swimming Federation regulations, national records are recognised only when they are achieved at the National Aquatics Championships. Performances recorded by Indian swimmers at other domestic or international meets are instead classified as Best Indian Times.
Aryan Nehra etched his name into Indian swimming history on Saturday by becoming the country's first swimmer to break the eight-minute barrier in the men's 800m freestyle during the National Aquatics Championships. The Gujarat swimmer claimed the gold medal with a stunning effort of 7:59.36, eclipsing his own Best Indian Time of 8:00.76 that had stood since 2019.
The landmark swim also secured Nehra's qualification for next month's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Japan after he comfortably met the required standards. Earlier in the championships, Nehra had already rewritten the Best Indian Time in the men's 1500m freestyle while also achieving the Commonwealth Games qualification mark in that event. He had broken his record at the event as well to qualify for CWG.
Nehra joins a growing list of Indian swimmers to have booked spots for upcoming international competitions. Olympian Sajan Prakash qualified for the Commonwealth Games in the men's 200m butterfly, while Srihari Nataraj earned qualification for both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in the men's 50m backstroke.
The penultimate day of the championships witnessed several standout performances, with records continuing to fall across multiple events. Rujula S improved her own Best Indian Time in the women's 50m freestyle, touching the wall in 26.23 seconds to better the mark she had established last year.
Meanwhile, B. Benedicton Rohit enjoyed a record-breaking day in the men's 50m butterfly. After surpassing his previous national record of 24.11 seconds during the heats, he went even quicker in the final, clocking 23.63 seconds to clinch the gold medal and lower the national mark once again.
Under Swimming Federation regulations, national records are recognised only when they are achieved at the National Aquatics Championships. Performances recorded by Indian swimmers at other domestic or international meets are instead classified as Best Indian Times.
