Tokyo, September 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian swimmer Rishabh Das finished sixth in the men’s 100m backstroke final at the 2026 Asian Games on Sunday, clocking 54.77 seconds.
China’s Jiayu Xu won the gold medal with a time of 51.98 seconds, while Japan’s Hidekazu Takehara claimed silver in 53.93 seconds. South Korea’s Juho Lee took bronze with a timing of 53.94 seconds.
Das had qualified for the final after producing a strong performance in the heats, where he finished fifth overall in 54.85 seconds.
He finished third in Heat 3, just 0.42 seconds behind Juho Lee, while Xu, the Asian record holder, topped the overall standings with a time of 52.63 seconds.
India’s Utkarsh Patil narrowly missed out on a place in the final. He clocked 56.19 seconds to finish sixth in his heat and 12th overall.
India also had a mixed outing in the men’s 100m freestyle heats. Rohit Benedicton finished fifth in Heat 5 in 50.25 seconds and placed 12th overall, earning a reserve spot. Akash Mani finished eighth in the same heat with a time of 50.85 seconds and failed to advance.
Das’ campaign at the Games will continue with the men’s 50m backstroke on Monday, where he will compete alongside Olympian Srihari Natraj. He will also be part of India’s men’s 4x100m medley relay team.
Other Indian swimmers scheduled to compete on Monday include Aksha Mani and Heer Gitesh Shah in the men’s 50m freestyle, Dhanush Suresh in the men’s 100m breaststroke, and Sunil Kumar Gowda and Vedaant Mahadevan in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay.
India will be seeking to end a 12-year wait for an Asian Games swimming medal in Japan. Sandeep Sejwal was the last Indian swimmer to win a continental medal, claiming bronze in the 50m breaststroke at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.
Indian swimmers returned from the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games without a medal, although they set six national records during the competition.
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