Rishabh Das becomes the first Indian to go sub-two minutes in 200m Backstroke

Maharashtra swimmer Rishabh Das created history at the Sydney Open 2026 by becoming the first Indian to clock under two minutes in the 200m backstroke event.

The young backstroke specialist recorded a time of 1:59.84 in Sydney, improving his own national record of 2:00.14 set earlier this year at the NSW State Open in March.

His latest effort marked another milestone in Indian swimming, where breaking the two-minute barrier in the event had long remained elusive.

Japan’s Hidekazu Takehar won the event with a timing of 1:57.11, while the United States’ Lee Se-bom finished second in 1:57.27. Australia’s Stuart Swinburn claimed third place with a time of 1:58.04.

Das finished fifth overall in the final but once again underlined his growing reputation as one of India’s brightest swimming prospects.

The achievement also continued a steady progression in the event after he had earlier broken Olympian Srihari Nataraj’s national mark during the 78th Senior National Aquatic Championships in Bhubaneswar in 2025 with a timing of 2:00.65.

Hailing from Navi Mumbai, Das was identified as a swimming talent at the age of four during a programme conducted by coach Gokul Kamath at Fr. Agnel School in Vashi. Under Kamath’s guidance, he quickly progressed through the junior circuit and began winning district medals within a couple of years.

In 2024, he made headlines at the Junior National Championships in Bhubaneswar by winning multiple gold medals and breaking the national junior record in the 50m backstroke. The same year, he earned medals at the Asian Age Group Championships in the Philippines during his maiden international appearance.