National Games 2025 Swimming: 14-year-old Paris Olympian Dhinidhi Desinghu bags 9 medals; breaks multiple national records

Dhinidhi Desinghu, Karnataka’s teenage swimming sensation, dominated the National Games 2025 by bagging nine medals, including seven golds. The 14-year-old Paris Olympian set two national records at the ongoing competition in Uttarakhand.

Desinghu’s standout moment came in the women’s 400m freestyle event on February 3, where she clocked 4:24.60 at the Manaskhand Tarantal in Golapur. She shattered the previous national record of 4:24.70, set by Hashika Ramachandra last year, and also erased the meet record of 4:27.93, previously held by Delhi’s Bhavya Sachdeva.

She later teamed up with Srihari Nataraj, Akash Mani, and Nina Venkatesh to win gold in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, clocking 3:41.03.

Despite not winning a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, where she was India’s youngest athlete, Desinghu has been on a different level at the National Games.

“I started swimming at the age of seven to make friends, and along the way, my parents became my biggest inspiration. My coaches and teammates have always motivated me to push my limits. Setting a new National Games record is a proud moment for me, and I hope to continue improving. The facilities at the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand are excellent, and I hope more such opportunities arise in the future to help improve sports in our country,” said Dhinidhi Desinghu.

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Dhinidhi Desinghu’s golden run at the National Games 2025

Dhinidhi Desinghu’s golden run started last Wednesday when she won three golds in a single day - in the 200m freestyle (2:03.24), 100m butterfly (1:03.62), and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay (4:01.58). She also broke her own national record in the 200m freestyle.

Her teammates in the 4x100m freestyle relay included Nina Venkatesh, Shalini R Dixit, and Latiesha Mandana. She continued her dominance by securing gold in the 50m freestyle (26.96) and the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay (8:54.87), partnering with Shirin, Shalini Dixit, and Meenakshi Menon.

Apart from her seven golds, Desinghu also won silver in the 50m butterfly and bronze in the 4x100m medley relay.