Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 21 (ANI): Swimmer Srihari Natraj made it to the finals of the men's 50 m backstroke event after success in their heat during the ongoing Asian Games at Aichi-Nagoya on Monday.
Srihari and Rishabh Das finished third and fourth in their heats respectively, as per ESPN. Srihari clocked timings of 25.37, which was +57 behind the heat leader, and Rishabh clocked 25.41 seconds, becoming one of the reserves for the final.
Top 10 swimmers from the heat had a shot at qualifying for the final, with Srihari finishing joint-ninth across all three heats.
Shifting focus to sepaktakraw, India started off their three regu-match series against Japan in Group B with a 2-0 win.
Team India started their regu Group B match with a point and eventually went down 3-6. The visitors tried clawing their way back, reducing the deficit to 5-6. Japan managed to take the lead again at the time of timeout, leading by 10-5. After the time out, India managed five quick points, making it 10-10. India managed to secure the first set 15-13, making a fine comeback from being down 5-10 to winning 15-13.
India started the second set on a tight note with a 2-2 scoreline, but eventually rattled Japan team with a stunning lead of 9-3. The Indian team continued to demoralise the local favourites with their game, taking a 14-5 lead.
India eventually prevailed, beating Japan 2-0 (15-13, 15-9) for a positive start in their three-match regu series.
Lastly, in the Wushu women's changquan final, Nyeman Wangsu finished 15th, continuing India's poor run in the sport.
Wangsu managed a score of 9.573, scoring 4.90 in quality of movement, 2.673 in overall performance and 2.00 in degree of difficulty.
Hong Kong, Macao and Indonesia took home the gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively, with Hong Kong’s Sham Hui Yu Lydia managing a score of 9.713, followed by Macao’s Sou Cho Man (9.710) and Indonesia’s Widodo Eugenia Diva (9.706).
Earlier, Aparna Dahiya suffered a 0-2 defeat to Iran’s Sogand Sinkaeichetan in the women’s 52kg Sanda Round of 16 on Sunday.
Aparna, who won gold at the 11th Sanda World Cup in Macau in May, lost both rounds by a 5-0 scoreline as Sinkaeichetan advanced to the next stage. The Indian had entered the continental competition following an impressive run at the World Cup, where she defeated reigning world champion Thi Phuong Nga Ngo of Vietnam in straight sets to claim the gold medal.
Also, Vikrant Baliyan bowed out of the men’s 75kg Sanda competition after losing 0-2 to Iran’s Soheil Mousavi in the Round of 16 on Sunday. Mousavi dominated both rounds, winning them 5-0 to advance to the quarterfinals and bring India’s wushu campaign in Sanda to a close. (ANI)
Asian Games 2026: Srihari Natraj in men's 50 m backstroke finals; success for India in sepaktakraw
