Rishabh Das falls short in 100m backstroke, sets sights on 50m as India chase first Swimming medal since 2014

India’s wait for an Asian Games swimming medal will continue after Rishabh Das finished sixth in the men’s 100m backstroke final at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Sunday. Das clocked 54.77 seconds in the final, while China’s Jiayu Xu claimed gold in 51.98 seconds.Japan’s Hidekazu Takehara secured silver with a time of 53.93 seconds, narrowly edging South Korea’s Juho Lee, who took bronze in 53.94 seconds.Das advances to final after strong heats showingDas qualified for the final after finishing fifth overall in the heats with a time of 54.85 seconds. He placed third in Heat 3, 0.42 seconds behind Lee, while Xu topped the overall standings in 52.63 seconds. India’s Utkarsh Patil narrowly missed the final, finishing sixth in his heat and 12th overall with a timing of 56.19 seconds.India also had a disappointing outing in the men’s 100m freestyle heats. Rohit Benedicton clocked 50.25 seconds to finish 12th overall and earn a reserve spot, while Akash Mani placed eighth in the same heat in 50.85 seconds.Das to return in 50m backstroke, medley relayDas’ campaign is not over, as he will compete in the men’s 50m backstroke on Monday alongside Olympian Srihari Natraj. He is also set to feature in the men’s 4x100m medley relay.Aksha Mani and Heer Gitesh Shah will contest the men’s 50m freestyle, while Dhanush Suresh is scheduled to compete in the 100m breaststroke. Sunil Kumar Gowda and Vedaant Mahadevan will represent India in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay.India chase first swimming medal since 2014India are aiming to end a 12-year wait for an Asian Games swimming medal. Sandeep Sejwal was the last Indian swimmer to reach the podium, winning bronze in the men’s 50m breaststroke at the 2014 Incheon Games. Indian swimmers returned empty-handed from Hangzhou 2023, despite setting six national records.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.