Aryan Nehra makes history in 800m freestyle, qualifies for Commonwealth, Asian Games

Aryan Nehra etched his name in Indian swimming history on Saturday by becoming the country’s first swimmer to break the eight-minute mark in the men’s 800m freestyle during the National Swimming Championships. The Gujarati swimmer clinched the gold medal with a stunning effort of 7:59.36, beating his own best Indian time of 8:00.76 that stood since 2019.

The landmark swim also qualified Nehra for next month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Japan after he comfortably met the required standards. Earlier at the championships, Nehra broke India’s best time in the men’s 1500m freestyle while qualifying for the Commonwealth Games. He also broke his event record to qualify for the CWG.

Nehra joins the growing list of Indian swimmers who have reserved spots for the upcoming international events. Olympian Sajan Prakash qualified for the Commonwealth Games in the 200m butterfly, while Srihari Nataraj qualified for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in the 50m breaststroke.

The penultimate day of the championship saw some excellent performances, with records continuing to fall in various events. Rujula S bettered her own best Indian time in the women’s 50m freestyle when she touched the wall in 26.23 seconds, bettering the mark she set last year.

Meanwhile, B. Benedicton Rohit enjoyed a record-breaking day in the men’s 50m butterfly event. After breaking his previous national record of 24.11 seconds during the heats, he went even faster in the final, winning the gold medal in 23.63 seconds and lowering the national mark again.

According to the regulations of the swimming federation, national records are only recognized when they are achieved at the national swimming championships. Performances recorded by Indian swimmers at other domestic or international meets are instead classified as Best Indian times.

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Published on:

20 Jun 2026 23:54 IST