Youngster Srihari Nataraj fell short of the Tokyo Olympics qualification mark, despite winning gold in the 100m backstroke event at the Uzbekistan Open Championships on Thursday.
Srihari clinched gold in his pet event and came within 0.22s of becoming the first Indian swimmer to attain the 'A' standard qualification mark. The gold medal-winning feat, however, was not enough for the men's 50m national backstroke champion to make the 'A' cut, set at 53.85s, for the Tokyo Olympics.
Srihari Nataraj created a national record in the men's 100m backstroke event by finishing with a timing of 54.10s in the heats. In the final race, the 20-year-old clocked 54.07s seconds to clinch the top honors.
Srihari achieved the 'B' cut in the 100m backstroke with a timing of 54.69s at the 2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships.
Also Read: Uzbekistan Open: Tokyo Olympics berth still eludes Sajan Prakash despite second gold in meet
Meanwhile, Tokyo Olympic hopeful Sajan Prakash won a third consecutive gold medal on Thursday as he climbed atop the podium in the men's 400m freestyle, clocking 3:56.03s.
Shivani Kataria won the top honors in the women's 400m freestyle event. The Rio Olympian barely broke a sweat clocking a time of 4:38.05s.
A day after winning the women's 50m breaststroke title, Chahat Arora stole the limelight once again with a top finish in the women's 100m breaststroke event. She clinched gold with a creditable time of 1:16.05s.
Maana Patel powered to the finish line in 1:04.47s to grab the top spot in the women's 100m backstroke. She produced a mini upset by beating fellow swimmer Suvana Bhaskar to second place on the podium.
Likhit SP and Dhanush S finished second and third respectively in the men’s 100m breaststroke event.