Olympian Srihari Nataraj Headlines India’s Medal Hopes at 2025 Asian Swimming Championships in Ahmedabad

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India is all set to host the 11th Asian Swimming Championships from October 1 to 15, 2025, in Ahmedabad, and leading the nation's medal charge will be Olympian Srihari Nataraj. The event returns to India after nine years and will be held at the Naranpura Sports Complex, which is an Olympic-standard aquatics facility.

Nataraj, 24, has long been at the forefront of Indian swimming. A backstroke specialist, he became only the second Indian swimmer to earn a direct Olympic berth by achieving the FINA 'A' qualification standard in the 100m backstroke ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

His steady rise has continued, with multiple national records to his name and consistent medal-winning performances across international competitions. He also competed in the Paris Olympics last year in 2024.

In June 2025, Nataraj underlined his top form at the 78th Senior National Aquatic Championships in Bhubaneswar, winning gold in both the 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle.

He also performed well in the Singapore National Swimming Championships, where he produced another impressive showing. He bagged gold in the 200m Freestyle with a timing of 1:48:66s to better the record set by Sajan Prakash in 2021.

In Indian swimming, only performances achieved at the National Aquatics Championships are officially recognised as national records. As a result, the impressive timing recorded by the Karnataka swimmer during the meet in Singapore does not qualify as a national record. Instead, it is listed as the Best Indian Time, acknowledging the swimmer's feat without granting it official record status under domestic regulations.

Major Honours

South Asian Games 2019 - Kathmandu

• Gold Medal - 50 m Backstroke

• Gold Medal - 100 m Backstroke

• Gold Medal - 200 m Backstroke

• Gold Medal - 4 x 100 m Medley Relay

• Silver Medal - 4 x 100 m Freestyle Relay

• Silver Medal - 100 m Freestyle

With India hosting the championship for the first time since 2016, expectations are high. Traditional powerhouses like China, Japan, and South Korea will pose stiff competition, but the home advantage, coupled with the form of swimmers like Nataraj, offers India a realistic shot at a breakthrough performance.

"I've not made plans for the future. Still, 50m backstroke is my main event, and it depends on how I feel. I have two chances, at the World University Games (WUG) in Germany (next month) and at the Asian championships in Ahmedabad (in October), to check myself in 200m freestyle. [I] will decide in January or February whether I am going to stick to backstroke or do both," Srihari told Sportstar recently on whether he will choose backstroke or freestyle for the upcoming events or not.

Beyond medals, this championship is also an opportunity for India to showcase its readiness to host major multi-sport events in the future - including the potential 2036 Olympics bid.

But for now, the spotlight rests on Srihari Nataraj - the Bengaluru-born backstroke ace who will dive into the pool in Ahmedabad carrying the hopes of a nation.