New Delhi: India swimmer Srihari Nataraj has qualified for the semi-finals of 100 m Backstroke in the Commonwealth Games 2022. He clocked 54.68 seconds in the heat to qualify ahead. Nataraj stood 5^th in the heats which made him qualify for the semis.

#Swimming Update ?@srihari3529 finishes 3️⃣rd in Heat 4 and overall 5th with a timing of 00:54.68 ⏰

He has qualified for the Semifinals ?scheduled to be played tonight, 30th July at 01:14/01:20 am IST ?‍♂️#Cheer4India ??#IndiaTaiyaarHai #India4CWG2022 pic.twitter.com/Qll1GR4cBC

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) July 29, 2022

He participated in the Men’s 100 m Backstroke in the 2018 Commonwealth Games as well, where he clocked 56.71 seconds in the heats to attain the 15^th spot and qualify for the semi-finals. In the semis, 56.65 seconds to take the 13^th spot. He did not qualify for the finals but gave hope to the Indians that the nation can get closer to a medal finish in swimming.

Australia has always shown dominance in the pool. The Aussie swimmers took the gold and the silver medal in the Gold Coast games. Mitch Larkin clocked 53.18 seconds while Bradley Woodward clocked 53.95 seconds to clinch the medals. The last person to qualify in the finals was Northern Ireland’s Conor Ferguson who clocked 55.01 seconds. With clocking under 55 seconds, Nataraj has a serious chance to make it to the finals this year. Srihari set a new national record last year in Italy by covering the 100 m distance in just 53.77 seconds.

India’s star swimmer, Sajan Prakash, who was competing in the Men’s 50 m Butterfly did not advance to the semi-finals as he ranked 24^th in the heats with a timing of 25.01 seconds. Another Indian swimmer competing at the CWG was Kushagra Rawat. He clocked 3:57.45 in the Men’s 400 m Freestyle, but could not qualify for the finals.

Srihari Nataraj will be swimming in the semis on Day 1 itself. The Commonwealth Games are streaming on Sony Sports Network and Sony Liv.