Aryan Nehra Breaks Own Best Indian Time, Books Commonwealth Games Berth in 1500m Freestyle

Ahmedabad witnessed a powerful display of Indian swimming talent as Aryan Nehra and teenage sensation Dhinidhi Desinghu delivered standout performances at the National Aquatics Championships , rewriting records and strengthening their international prospects.

In the men’s 1500m freestyle, Aryan Nehra produced a commanding swim, clocking 15:14.88 to clinch gold and better his own previous Best Indian Time of 15:29.76 , set in 2023 in Hyderabad. The performance secured him qualification for the Commonwealth Games , marking a major milestone in his career. However, he narrowly missed the Asian Games qualification mark of 15:14.27 , falling short by just fractions of a second.

Behind him, Karnataka’s Dharshan S took silver with 15:38.00 , while Delhi’s Kushagra Rawat finished third in 15:41.66 , rounding off a competitive distance field.

The spotlight also shone brightly on 16 year old Dhinidhi Desinghu , who continued her rapid rise in Indian swimming. She set a new Best Indian Time in the women’s 100m freestyle , touching the wall in 56.57 seconds . Her effort improved upon her own previous mark of 56.78 seconds , set last year in Bhubaneswar, underlining her consistency and growth at the national level.

Adding to the strong performances, the Tamil Nadu quartet of Mj Praveen Kumar, Danush Suresh, B Benedicton Rohit, and Adhithya Dinesh won the men’s 4x100m medley relay in a meet record time of 3:44.74 , showcasing depth in team events as well.

In Indian swimming, “National Records” are officially recognised only when achieved at the National Aquatic Championships, while the best performances across domestic and international meets are recorded as Best Indian Time , a benchmark that both Nehra and Desinghu pushed forward once again.