Srihari Nataraj booked his place in the men’s 50m backstroke semifinals at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after finishing joint 14th in the heats on Friday.
The Indian swimmer clocked 25.52 seconds, the same time as Bermuda’s Jack Harvey, to sneak into the semifinal start list that features the top 16 swimmers from the heats. Nataraj was fifth in his eight-man heat, doing enough to move on in a tightly packed field where qualification came down to fine margins.
The progression is a key step for Nataraj in the sprint backstroke event, with the semifinals now set to decide the finalists. With only the top 16 advancing from the heats, his joint-14th finish underlined how narrow the qualification window was.
How Nataraj qualified: heat placing and time
Nataraj’s 25.52s was enough to keep him inside the cutoff for the semifinals, as he made the list “just about,” alongside Harvey. The heats format meant there was no room for error, and his fifth-place finish in an eight-man heat still proved sufficient once all times were compared across the field.
The report noted that the semifinal start list is comprised of the top 16 swimmers from the heats, placing added emphasis on overall time rather than only heat position. Nataraj’s identical timing with Harvey ultimately saw both swimmers advance.
Nataraj is described as a two-time Olympian who holds multiple national records, and his qualification keeps India in contention in the men’s 50m backstroke as the event moves into the semifinal stage.
Para-swimming: Budigina and Imam Ali reach 100m freestyle S13 final
India also had progress in para-swimming, where R V V B K Budigina and Imam Ali made the finals of the 100m freestyle S13 event. In this case, all eight swimmers who competed in the heats advanced to the final.
Budigina finished third in the heats with a timing of 57.10 seconds, while Imam Ali was eighth with 1:05.32. Both are now set to compete in the final of the S13 classification event, which is for athletes with visual impairments.
What’s next for India at CWG 2026 in the pool
For Nataraj, the immediate focus shifts to the men’s 50m backstroke semifinals after making the top-16 cutoff from the heats. For Budigina and Imam Ali, attention turns to the 100m freestyle S13 final after both progressed from the heats.
With multiple Indian swimmers moving into the next rounds across events, the semifinals and finals will determine who can convert qualification into medal contention at CWG 2026.
