Sajan Prakash and Karnataka relay teams break National Games records in swimming
The 37th National Games started on October 25 in Goa and will conclude on November 9, 2023. The event has seen numerous meet records being broken. Swimming, in particular, has seen stellar performances from both experienced and upcoming athletes.
In yet another instance of athletes breaking meet records, Sajan Prakash won his second gold medal of the tournament by winning the 200m butterfly event with a games-record swim of 1:59:38 seconds.
The Karnataka 4x200 freestyle relay teams in both men's and women's categories also won the gold medal and created new games records in the process.
Sajan's win added another gold to Kerala's 11 gold medals, taking their tally to 35 medals and placing them in the seventh position on the overall table. The dual win for Karnataka's men's and women's relay team ensured their 15th and 16th gold medals of the tournament, and increased their tally to 40 medals, placing them in fourth position.
Maharashtra are in first place with 142 medals and possess a huge lead over second-placed Services Sports Control Board, who have 56 medals. Haryana, with 65 medals round off the top three in the medals table.
Swimmers impress in 37th National Games by breaking records
With over 28 states, union territories, and the Services Sports Control Board taking part in the 37th National Games, competition is of the highest standard. Over 10,000 athletes - 3,000 more than last year's edition in Gujarat - are participating in 43 different sports.
Swimming has produced high-intensity competition between young and experienced athletes, with the winners having won by the barest of margins.
Karnataka's Srihari Nataraj broke his national record in the 200m freestyle event when he swam the length of the pool in 1:49.09s, bettering his previous record of 1:49.73s.
Sajan Prakash from Idukki had set a new meet record in his first gold medal triumph in the 100m butterfly event when he finished in 53.79s.
Virdhawal Khade, a swimming veteran and national record holder, defeated Srihari Nataraj in the 50m freestyle event and created a new meet record of 22.82s. The win was Virdhawal's last of his competitive career as he will hang up his boots after the tournament ends.
Rujuta Khade, also from Maharashtra and Virdhawal's wife, won the gold medal with a brilliant finish of 26.42s in the women's 50m freestyle and created a meet record in the process.