India’s swimming circuit witnessed a breakthrough moment as young athletes continued to push boundaries on the international stage, with rising star Astha Choudhury delivering a record-breaking performance at the Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships.
The 22-year-old produced a standout swim in the women’s 200m butterfly, clocking 2:17.09 in the super final to register a new Best Indian Time. In doing so, she eclipsed Apeksha Fernandes’ four-year-old mark of 2:18.18 by over a second, underlining her rapid rise in Indian swimming.
Despite finishing second overall behind Japan’s Matsuura Yu (2:15.91), Choudhury emerged as the top swimmer in the senior (18-and-over) category, securing the gold medal in her division. Her performance capped off a consistent day in the pool, having earlier topped her heat in the preliminaries with a time of 2:18.37 to qualify for the final.
India’s contingent enjoyed a productive outing overall, adding multiple medals across disciplines.
Srihari Nataraj continued his impressive run, clinching silver in the men’s 100m backstroke and adding another silver in the 50m backstroke with a time of 25.87 seconds. The Olympian has been in fine form recently, having set a Best Indian Time in the 200m freestyle at the same venue in earlier editions of the championships.
Sajan Prakash secured a bronze medal in the 200m individual medley, showcasing his versatility across strokes.
Choudhury’s record-breaking swim comes at a crucial juncture in the season, offering momentum ahead of key international competitions. Her ability to not only break a long-standing benchmark but also maintain consistency across rounds signals growing maturity and competitive readiness.
With Indian swimmers increasingly registering “Best Indian Times” at global meets, performances that reflect the fastest ever by an Indian outside national championships the trajectory of the sport appears to be on a steady upward curve.
As the season unfolds, performances like Choudhury’s will be closely watched, especially with major events on the horizon, where India’s next generation of swimmers will look to convert promise into podium finishes.
