CWG 2022: Nataraj qualifies for men's 50m backstroke final

BIRMINGHAM: Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj's impressive run at Commonwealth Games 2022 continued as the 20-year-old finished fifth in semi-final 1 to qualify for the final. He qualified with a time of 25.38s in the men's 50m backstroke event.

The qualification made Srihari Nataraj the first Indian swimmer to break into multiple finals at the CWG. Srihari Nataraj had made it to the final in the men's 100m backstroke event on Friday.

On Sunday at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, Srihari Nataraj clocked 25.38s in the semi-finals to progress. However, Srihari Nataraj, who holds the national record in 25.18s, will have to be at his best on Monday to bring home a medal.

On the other hand, Para swimmer Prasanta Karmakar's bronze at New Delhi 2010 is the only Indian medal in swimming at the Commonwealth Games so far. Teenager Pieter Coetze, who won the gold in the 100m event, once again topped the semi-finals in 24.81s. Earlier in the heats, Srihari Nataraj timed 25.52s to finish eighth in the strong field of 45.

The top 16 in the heats qualified for the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Srihari Nataraj's fellow Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash was eliminated from the men's 200m butterfly event after timing 1:58.99s to finish 10th in the heats.