Srihari Nataraj qualifies for men’s 100m backstroke final, clocks 54.55s

Srihari Nataraj reached the finals of men's 100m backstroke by clocking 54.55s in the semifinals on Saturday night.

Srihari Nataraj reached the finals of men’s 100m backstroke by clocking 54.55s. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K

Srihari Nataraj reached the finals of men's 100m backstroke by clocking 54.55s in the semifinals on Saturday night. He came fourth in his heat, qualifying for the final in the seventh place. Nataraj will compete in the final on Sunday (July 31; 1.35 am IST).

Nataraj’s national record is 53.77s, set at Sette Colli Trophy 2021 in Rome. He holds the national record in 200m backstroke event (02:01.70).

At the Tokyo Olympics last year, Nataraj became the first Indian swimmer to swim in a classification A heat. He recorded a time of 54.31s to finish 27th in the men's 100m backstroke event.