Indian freestyle relay team breaks national record

The Indian team comprising Aaron D’souza, Anshul Kothari, Sajan Prakash and Virdhawal Khade, finished eight in the men’s 4x400m freestyle relay.

The men’s 4x400m freestyle relay team of which Khade was part of clocked 3:25.17s in the heats.

Sandeep Sejwal, the bronze medallist in the breaststroke sprint at the last Asian Games, could not come anywhere close to his personal best in the 100m breaststroke and failed to qualify for the final in the 18th Asian Games here on Wednesday.

Sandeep, who has a personal best of 1:00.97s in the event, topped his heat with 1:02.07 but was 10th overall and failed to make the cut.

Meanwhile, the Indian team comprising Aaron D’souza, Anshul Kothari, Sajan Prakash and Virdhawal Khade, finished eight in the men’s 4x400m freestyle relay. The team had broken the national record, clocking 3:25.17s (old 3:26.50s in 2011), in the morning’s heats and was a shade slower (3:25.34) in the final. Japan won the gold in 3:12.68.

Earlier in the men’s 100m butterfly, Sajan Prakash (54.06s, 12th overall) and Avinash Mani (56.98, 26th overall) topped their respective heats but their time was not good enough to take them to the final.