Swimming
National Games 2025: Karnataka dominate swimming pool on Day 1
Dhinidhi Desinghu set a national record as Karnataka dominated swimming on Day 1 of the 2025 National Games.
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Dhinidhi Desinghu
Karnataka's swimmers made a powerful statement on the opening day of the 2025 National Games, clinching five gold medals and setting a new meet record at the Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Complex.
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).
Meanwhile, rising star Dhinidhi Desinghu smashed the National Games record, clocking 2:03.24 to take the gold. Delhi’s Bhavya Sachdeva finished second with 2:08.68, while Maharashtra’s Aditi Satish Hegde clinched bronze in 2:09.74.
In 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.
Karnataka continued their dominance as Dhinidhi Desinghu secured her second gold of the day in women's 100m butterfly, clocking 1:03.62. Teammate Naisha Shetty bagged silver with 1:04.81, and Odisha’s Shristi Upadhaya took bronze in 1:05.20.
The Karnataka men’s 4x100m freestyle relay 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 women's 4x100m freestyle relay, the Karnataka women’s 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.