Karnataka’s rising swimming star Rujula S. shattered the national meet record in the women’s 50m freestyle, clocking 26.36 seconds at the 78th National Aquatics Championships held at the Kalinga Stadium Aquatic Centre, Bhubaneswar. Her performance not only earned her the gold medal but also surpassed the long-standing record held by Shikha Tandon, marking the Best Indian Performance in the event.
A Sprint to Remember
The 16-year-old swimmer improved on her personal best of 26.91 seconds, delivering a powerful sprint in the short-distance event.
“The distance was short, so I went all out,” Rujula said after the race.
She edged out Avantika Sudhir Chavan of the Railways Sports Promotion Board, who clocked 26.58 seconds, while Karnataka’s Dhinidhi Desinghu secured bronze with 26.69 seconds.
Record-Breaking Day at the Pool
Rujula’s feat was part of a record-setting day that also saw:
- Bhavya Sachdeva of Delhi break the women’s 1500m freestyle meet record with 17:35.07
- Tamil Nadu’s men’s 4x100m medley relay team set a new meet record with 3:45.09
- Olympians Srihari Nataraj and Sajan Prakash clinch gold in their respective events
What’s Next for Rujula?
With this breakthrough, Rujula has firmly positioned herself as one of India’s top sprint swimmers. Her performance is expected to boost her chances for selection in upcoming international meets, including the Asian Age Group Championships and World Junior events.
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