In a remarkable display of talent, 14-year-old Dhinidhi Desinghu from Karnataka, India’s youngest swimmer at the Paris Olympics, set a new national record at the 40th Sub-Junior and 50th Junior National Aquatics Championship in Bhubaneswar. Competing in the Girls’ 50m Freestyle Group II on Day 3 at the Kalinga Stadium complex, Dhinidhi clocked an impressive 26.89 seconds, breaking her own previous record of 27.16 seconds.
Dhinidhi, who had earlier represented India in the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women’s 200m freestyle, where she bowed out during the heats, made a powerful comeback just 11 days later to establish this new benchmark. Her achievement underscores her potential as a rising star in Indian swimming. The competition also saw other records tumble. Maharashtra’s Aditi Satish Hegde finished second in the 50m freestyle with a time of 27.98 seconds, while Karnataka’s Charita Phanindranath claimed third place, clocking 28.05 seconds.
Additionally, Maharashtra’s Rishabh Anupam Das set a new meet record in the Boys’ 50m Backstroke Group I, finishing the race in 26.19 seconds. This performance shattered the six-year-old national record of 26.31 seconds held by two-time Olympian Srihari Nataraj, who represented India in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. Dhinidhi’s record-breaking performance, coupled with Rishabh’s achievement, highlights the promising future of Indian swimming as young athletes continue to set new benchmarks on the national stage.
In a remarkable display of talent, 14-year-old Dhinidhi Desinghu from Karnataka, India’s youngest swimmer at the Paris Olympics, set a new national record at the 40th Sub-Junior and 50th Junior National Aquatics Championship in Bhubaneswar. Competing in the Girls’ 50m Freestyle Group II on Day 3 at the Kalinga Stadium complex, Dhinidhi clocked an impressive 26.89 seconds, breaking her own previous record of 27.16 seconds.
Dhinidhi, who had earlier represented India in the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women’s 200m freestyle, where she bowed out during the heats, made a powerful comeback just 11 days later to establish this new benchmark. Her achievement underscores her potential as a rising star in Indian swimming. The competition also saw other records tumble. Maharashtra’s Aditi Satish Hegde finished second in the 50m freestyle with a time of 27.98 seconds, while Karnataka’s Charita Phanindranath claimed third place, clocking 28.05 seconds.
Additionally, Maharashtra’s Rishabh Anupam Das set a new meet record in the Boys’ 50m Backstroke Group I, finishing the race in 26.19 seconds. This performance shattered the six-year-old national record of 26.31 seconds held by two-time Olympian Srihari Nataraj, who represented India in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. Dhinidhi’s record-breaking performance, coupled with Rishabh’s achievement, highlights the promising future of Indian swimming as young athletes continue to set new benchmarks on the national stage.
