Haldwani (Uttarakhand) [India], January 29 : Karnataka's swimmers stole the spotlight on the opening day of the 38th National Games 2025, clinching five gold medals and setting a new meet record at the Syama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Complex.
Karnataka's Srihari Nataraj led the charge, securing gold in the 200m Freestyle with a time of 1:50.57, ahead of compatriot Aneesh S. Gowda (1:52.42) and Kerala's Sajan Prakash (1:53.73), as stated in a release from the 38th National Games 2025.
In the Women's 200m freestyle, rising star Dhinidhi Desinghu from Karnataka smashed the National Games record, clocking 2:03.24 to win gold. Delhi's Bhavya Sachdeva finished second with 2:08.68, while Maharashtra's Aditi Satish Hegde clinched bronze in 2:09.74.
In the Men's 100m butterfly, Tamil Nadu's Benediction Rohit edged out the competition to win gold in 53.89 seconds, narrowly missing the Games record. Maharashtra's Mihir Ambre took silver in 54.24, while Kerala's Sajan Prakash finished third in 54.52.
In the Women's 100m butterfly, Karnataka continued their dominance as Dhinidhi Desinghu secured her second gold of the day in 1:03.62. Teammate Naisha Shetty bagged silver with 1:04.81, and Odisha's Shristi Upadhaya took bronze in 1:05.20.
In the Men's 4x100m freestyle relay, the Karnataka men's team of Akash Mani, Chinatan S. Shetty, Aneesh S. Gowda, and Srihari Nataraj set a new meet record (3:26.26) to win gold. Tamil Nadu finished second in 3:29.92, followed by Gujarat in 3:32.23.
In the Women's 4x100m freestyle relay, Karnataka's women's relay squad of Nina Venkatesh, Shalini R. Dixit, Latiesha Mandana, and Dhinidhi Desinghu clinched gold in 4:01.58, ahead of Maharashtra (4:02.17) and Tamil Nadu (4:08.81).
With Karnataka dominating the medal tally in swimming, the team has set a high benchmark for the days ahead. The action continues tomorrow with more thrilling races expected in the pool.
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