Jakarta: India's ace swimmer Virdhawal Khade had mixed fortunes in the pool at the ongoing 18th Asian Games in Indonesia as he kept himself in the medal hunt by qualifying for 50M butterfly final, but crashed out of the men's freestyle 100M along with Anshul Kothari.
Khade, who narrowly missed bronze in men's 50M freestyle, clocked 24.09 to top Heat 2 but was placed fifth overall.
A brilliant performance from Virdhawal Khade saw him finish Heat 2 in the Men's 50m Butterfly swimming event with a timing of 24.09!#SPNSports #KoiKasarNahi #AsianGames2018 pic.twitter.com/Nx8AN3FCIj
— SPN- Sports (@SPNSportsIndia) August 23, 2018
Kothari also topped three-man Heat 1 with timing of 25.45 but that was 28th best from among 40 swimmers.
Top-eight qualify for the final. Khade though had a disappointing result in 100M freestyle as he finished last in his heat and was placed 43rd overall.
His timing was 59.11. Compatriot Aaron Desouza was best in his heat with a timing of 51.50 but that placed him at 27th.
Earlier, Khade had bettered his national record, but missed the bronze medal in the men's 50M freestyle by a whisker, finishing fourth in the final.
After finishing third fastest in overall heats, Khade was a medal contender, but missed it by hundredth of a second. He clocked 22.47s while Japan's bronze winner Shunichi Nakao timed 22.46.
China's Hexin Yu (22.11) won gold ahead of Katsumi Nakamura (22.20).26-year-old Khade marginally bettered his own long-standing national record by clocking 22.43s which was a better effort than his 22.52s, set in August 2009 at Asian Age group swimming championships in Japan.
"The national record does not matter to me now. I would have been happier if I timed 25s and won a medal. It unfortunately did not happen today," Khade, who had won a bronze at the Gunagzhou Games in 2010, said.
Khade returned to swimming only 18 months back after remaining out of action due to his job commitment with the Maharashtra government. He is posted as a Tehsildar at Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar, which manages a social welfare scheme.
Khade though is pleased with his improvement after making a comeback to the pool. "After nearly 10 years (eight years), I am competing at such a big event. I was also at the CWG also but there, I could not perform to my potential. I had timed 23.11s there, so it is half a second fast. Hopefully, I will be able to cut down more and get a medal soon."
"I have worked on strength and fitness since January with my coach in Bengaluru. I have improved since January in every competition. Regular competition has helped me."
(With inputs from Agencies)