Swimmers Sejwal, Shivani fail to qualify at Worlds

Indian swimmers Sandeep Sejwal and Shivani failed to qualify for the semi-finals in their respective categories at the World Championships here on Thursday.

In the heats, Sejwal finished 44th out of 52 participants in the men's 200 metres breaststroke event, almost 10 seconds behind top qualifier Marco Koch of Germany at the Kazan Arena.

The Olympian started well to complete the first 50m in 31.47 seconds. However, his initial burst of speed led him to lose energy in the rest of the race as in the next three 50m splits, the 26-year-old clocked 35.42, 35.85 and 35.94, almost four seconds slower.

Earlier in the day, Sejwal's compatriot Shivani ended 59th out of 93 participants in the heats of women's 100m freestyle. Three participants did not start while the heats were topped by Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom in 53.22 seconds.

Shivani, on the other hand, finished 5.54 seconds behind the Swede. The 18-year-old clocked 28.41 seconds in the first 50m while the last 50m were completed in 30.35.

In both categories, the top-16 qualified for the semis.