Aryan Nehra Rewrites Best Indian Time To Qualify For The Commonwealth Games

Aryan Nehra and rising star Dhinidhi Desinghu headlined the National Aquatics Championships on Thursday, each rewriting their own national marks in standout freestyle performances that also carried major qualification stakes.

Nehra demolished his previous 1500m freestyle ‘Best Indian Time’ to confirm his berth for the Commonwealth Games. The distance specialist stopped the clock at 15:14.88 to claim the gold medal, slicing a significant margin off his earlier Best Indian Time of 15:29.76, achieved in Hyderabad in 2023. Despite the commanding swim, the Gujarat athlete narrowly missed the Asian Games qualification cut, falling just short of the required 15:14.27 and ending the race with mixed feelings about the outcome.

Behind him, Karnataka’s Dharshan

S (15:38.00) produced a solid effort to secure the silver medal, while Delhi swimmer Kushagra Rawat (15:41.66) completed the podium with the bronze, as Nehra’s dominant display set the tone for the distance event.

On the women’s side, Dhinidhi stayed firmly on her upward trajectory, rewriting the record books in the 100m freestyle with another Best Indian Time. The 16-year-old displayed both speed and composure, touching in 56.57 seconds to take the gold medal and erase her own previous standard of 56.78 seconds, which she had established in Bhubaneswar last year. Her performance underlined her status as one of the most promising young sprinters in the country.

Team Tamil Nadu added to the day’s highlights through the men’s 4x100m medley relay. The combination of Mj Praveen Kumar, Danush Suresh, B.Benedicton Rohit and Adhithya Dinesh delivered a sharp all-around effort to capture the title in a meet-record time of 3:44.74, underlining their strength across strokes and maintaining clear control of the race.

In swimming, “National Records” are exclusively recognised when clocked at the National Aquatic Championships. At the same time, the fastest performances registered at any domestic or international meet are logged separately as ‘Best Indian Time’, a category under which Nehra and Dhinidhi’s latest efforts now firmly stand.

(With PTI Inputs)