Asian Aquatics Championships: India dive into a pool of promise

Ahmedabad: The Indian aquatics fraternity is buzzing with anticipation as the Asian Aquatics Championships begin in Ahmedabad on Sunday -- the country’s biggest aquatic showpiece since the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Spread over two weeks, the event has drawn entries from 25 nations, including powerhouses like China and Japan.

This will allow fans in Ahmedabad get a rare glimpse of world champions such as Qin Haiyang and a potential glimpse for what’s to come at next year’s Asian Games. Korea’s absence, meanwhile, could nudge the door open for India to sneak in among medallists.

More than 1,100 athletes have already checked into the city for four disciplines — swimming, artistic swimming, diving and water polo — and the host nation has fielded 80 competitors across these disciplines.

Swimming naturally leads the charge with a 40-strong contingent split evenly between men and women. Water polo follows with 15 names each for the men’s and women’s squads, while divers and officials have been trickling in through the week to a warm welcome.

For the Indian contingent, the goal is clear: Measure up to Asia’s elite and match the top-six benchmarks laid down by the Sports Ministry’s newly-minted guidelines. India’s previous outing, at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022, did not yield a medal but did feature two top-five finishes, including a stirring national-record effort from the 4x100 medley relay team spearheaded by Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj.

Sajan is back after an injury lay-off, while Srihari heads into the Championships brimming with confidence after rewriting two national records at the University Games.

“I am not thinking about a top-six finish, I am aiming for much more,” Srihari told DH ahead of his 200m freestyle heats on the opening day.

“I paid no attention to the criteria because we are looking at an Asian Games medal and not just improving a spot or two on what we did before.”

And at the Asian championships, home advantage could well tilt the scales, but the bigger question is whether the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, built at a cost of Rs 825-crore, can live up to international standards. Prakash, who has spent the past month training with the national squad at the venue as part of a mandatory camp, offers reassurance.

“The infrastructure is impressive and right up there among the best,” says Sajan, the first Indian swimmer to appear at two Olympics. “Apart from the home-crowd advantage, the month-long camp was an added bonus. Hopefully it all falls into place tomorrow.”

With world champions in the lanes, an upgraded home facility and a quietly ambitious squad, India is set for a fortnight where the pool promises as much drama as the podium.

India squad Swimming (men): S Dhanush, Shoan Ganguly, Jashua Thomas, Aneesh Gowda, Rohit B Benedicton, Advait Page, Sajan Prakash, Bikram Changmai, Heer Gitesh Shah, MS Yadesh Babu, Vidith S Shankar, Kushagra Rawat, Jananjoy Jyoti Hazarika, Akash Mani, Nithik Nathella, Manikantha L, Vinayak V, Likith SP, Rishabh Anupam Das, Srihari Nataraj.

Women: Thanya S, Shristi Upadhaya, Vihitha Nayana, Nina Venkatesh, Manavi Varma, Vritti Agarwal, Roshini B, Dhinidhi Desinghu, Bhavya Sachdeva, Astha Chodhury, Shreenithi Natesan, Naisha, Aditi Satish Hegde, Saanvi Deshwal, Sanjana Prabhugaonkar, Rujula S, Soubrity Mondal, M Rithvika, Avantika Chavan, Harshitha Jayaram.

Diving: Men: Premson Meitei, Surajit Rajbanshi, Om Awasthi, Indiver Sairem, Willson Singh, Abishek Ulaganambi.

Women: Shravani Suryawanshi, Palak Sharma, Hrutika Shriram, Ashna Chevli

Water Polo: Men: Aneesh Babu, Ashwinikumar Kunde, Sarang Vaidya, Uday Uttekar, Souvik Dhali, Shreyas Vaidya, Tapas Mondal, Gaurav Mahajani, Bhagesh Kuthe, Ananthu Subhadevi, Ankit Prasad, Pranav Mhatre, Praveen Nair, SP Sindhu, Vaibhav Kuthe.

Women: Krisha Purokayastha, Vidhya Reenakumari, Tamali Naskar, Dhruthi Doddaballapur Karthikeya, Madhurima Madhukumar, Piyali Santra, Prachetha Rao, Rasni Parvin, Roshini Saravanan, Safwa Sakeer, Varsha Suresh, Bhadra Sajini, Bhumika Mondal, Kalautri Mitra, Kripa Rajeshkumar.