Haldwani, Feb 3 (PTI): Karnataka's swimming stars Srihari Nataraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu continued their stellar performances at the National Games 2024, each securing their seventh gold medal on Monday. Their dominance in the pool has kept them in contention for the prestigious titles of Best Male and Female Athletes of the multi-sport event.
The 14-year-old sensation, Desinghu, clinched gold in the women's 400m freestyle, setting a new Games record with a remarkable time of 4 minutes and 24.60 seconds. She then teamed up with Nataraj, Akash Mani, and Nina Venkatesh to claim another gold in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, finishing in 3 minutes and 41.03 seconds.
Nataraj, a 24-year-old Paris Olympian, showcased his brilliance by winning the men's 50m backstroke in 26.09 seconds, securing his second gold of the day.
With these victories, Desinghu has now amassed nine medals at the Games—six gold (200m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay, 50m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay, and 400m freestyle), one silver (50m butterfly), and one bronze (4x100m relay medley).
Nataraj’s medal tally has risen to eight, comprising six golds (200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay, 4x200m freestyle relay, 100m backstroke, and 50m backstroke) and two silver (50m freestyle, 50m butterfly). As the reigning Best Male Athlete from the 2023 edition in Goa, where he won eight gold, one silver, and one bronze, Nataraj remains a strong contender to retain the title.
Meanwhile, Karnataka continued its dominance in the pool with additional gold medals from Shoan Ganguly in the men's 200m medley (2:06.61) and Vihitha Nayana in the women's 50m backstroke (31.46). Delhi’s Kushagra Rawat claimed victory in the men’s 800m freestyle with a time of 8:12.89, while Maharashtra’s Saanvi Deshwal topped the women's 200m medley with 2:24.90.
Karnataka leads the swimming medal tally with an impressive 18 golds out of 37 on offer, accumulating a total of 33 medals, reinforcing its supremacy in the sport at the Games.
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