Vidith S Shankar breaks records at National Aquatic Championships

At the 39th Sub Junior and 49th Junior National Aquatic Championships 2023 in Bhubaneswar, Karnataka's rising talent, Vidith S Shankar, produced a brilliant performance.

He not only nailed the gold medal but also broke his own previous national record in the 100m breaststroke for group 1 boys. Vidith showed great resolve to clock an outstanding 1:04.26, improving upon his prior best of 1:05.04.

Hot on his heels was Jharkhand's Rana Pratap, who was also in good form and came tantalizingly close to Vidith's record-breaking timing, settling for the silver medal with 1:04.89.

Bengal's Sayan Bhowmik took third place on the stage with a timing of 1:06.72, according to a press release from the Swimming Federation of India.

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Exceptional performances at National Aquatic Championships

As the championship edges towards its conclusion at Bhubaneswar's iconic Kalinga Sports Complex, Sunday looks to be another day loaded with rousing aquatic action.

In the 100m breaststroke for group II boys, Tamil Nadu's MS Nitheesh was the big winner, grabbing the gold medal with a commanding performance - a time of 1:08.80.

Maharashtra's Archit Sameer Morvekar took the silver with a timing of 1:11.43, closely followed by Gujarat's Arhaan Harsh, who won the bronze medal with a period of 1:11.45.

In the National Aquatic Championships 200m butterfly for group II boys, the 13-year-old Akshaj Thakuria from Karnataka won the gold medal with a wonderful time of 2:13.82.

Andhra Pradesh's Yagna Sai Mongam and Karnataka's Harikarthik Velu hooked the silver and bronze awards with timings of 2:16.07 and 2:17.51, respectively.

Pivoting to the 100m butterfly for group III boys, 11-year-old Abdul Hafeez from Tamil Nadu displayed his swimming powers and took the gold medal with a superb timing of 1:08.98.

Uttar Pradesh's Ajeet Yadav won the silver with a timing of 1:10.71, while Karnataka's Vedant Anand Misale took the bronze with a time frame of 1:12.05.

In the 100m butterfly for group I girls, Telangana's Vritti Agarwal asserted her dominance on the event, winning the gold with a stunning time of 2:23.55.

Karnataka's Hashika Ramachandra barely missed the gold, finishing with a timing of 2:23.64, while Maharashtra's Dhriti Yogesh Ahirwal took the bronze with a time frame of 2:28.04.

In the 200m butterfly for group II girls at National Aquatic Championships, Karnataka's Tanishi Gupta and Dhinidhi Desinghu showed their amazing skills. They smashed the previous record set by Apeksha Fernandes (2:23.67) in 2019.

Tanishi won the gold with an impeccable timing of 2:21.45, closely followed by Dhinidhi Desinghu with a timing of 2:22.18. Maharashtra's Nirmayee Sachin Ambetka earned the third spot with a timing of 2:31.95.

Moving to the 100m butterfly event for group III girls, Bengal's Sanithi Mukherjee gained the gold medal with a time of 1:08.47. Telangana's Shivani Karra and Tamil Nadu's P Shashini took the second and third spots with timings of 1:11.61 and 1:11.87, respectively.

As far as the National Aquatic Championships' boys' 50m freestyle event for group II is concerned, Karnataka's Ishaan Mehra showed his sprinting powers. He not only nailed the gold but also devised a national record with a lightning-fast timing of 24.68.

This exceptional rendition outshone his record of 24.71. Tamil Nadu's Nitishsai Harinath assured the silver medal with a timing of 25.60, while Assam's Nibir Hazarika nailed the bronze with 25.89.