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Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj qualified for the 50m backstroke finals after finishing fifth, and an overall eighth, in the semi-finals at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG 2022) on Sunday (July 31).
Srihari is having a whale of a time in the pool as he has qualified for the second final in as many events as he is competing in. He previously qualified for the 100m backstroke final, where he finished seventh.
Competing in the first semi-final, Srihari started well and finished fifth with a time of 25.38s. After an anxious wait for the second semi-final to be completed, Srihari found a place in the top-eight, progressing to the final as the eighth swimmer.
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Competing from Lane 6, Srihari was 0.57s behind the fastest swimmer in the semi-finals, South Africa's Pieter Coetze.
Watch: Mirabai Chanu gets emotional on the podium after winning India's first gold medal at CWG 2022
Srihari Nataraj final on August 2 at 1.00 am IST
Srihari will be in action in the 50m backstroke final on Tuesday, August 2, at 1 am (IST).
Sony Sports Network has the broadcast rights for the Commonwealth Games 2022 in India.
Sony TEN 1, Sony TEN 2, Sony TEN 3, Sony SIX, and Sony TEN 4 will live telecast the CWG 2022 in India. Live streaming will also be available on the Sony LIV app and website.
Srihari Nataraj doing well in CWG 2022
Earlier, Srihari Nataraj finished seventh in the men's 100m backstroke final on July 30. Swimming in Lane 1, Srihari Nataraj clocked 54.31s to finish seventh. South Africa's Pieter Coetze won the gold medal with a time of 53.78s.
Srihari improved from his timing in the heats and the semi-finals but in the end he was just a tad behind the winners. In the heats, the Indian swimmer clocked 54.68s and bettered it to 54.55 in the semi-finals and went a little better in the final to clock 54.31s.
At the Tokyo Olympics last year, Srihari was the first Indian to swim in the classification A heat. He clocked 54:31s to finish 27th in the men's 100m backstroke event.
Srihari has received good assistance from the Sports Authority of India and has also done well, competing in a plethora of events in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games. He's also part of the Sports Ministry's Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
