Rishabh Das Sets 200m Backstroke National Record as India Miss Swimming Medals

India's swimmers ended the Asian Games 2026 without a medal. Rishabh Das was the standout, finishing sixth in the men's 200m backstroke final in a new national record of 1:58.77. The time improved his own previous mark of 1:59.84.

Das was sixth in the 100m backstroke final as well. The 200m final was won by Japan's Kodai Nishiono in 1:56.42. South Korea's Lee Ju-ho took silver, and China's Xu Jiayu took bronze in 1:56.73. Das finished about two seconds off the podium.

Other Indian results were modest. Srihari Nataraj finished 10th in the 50m backstroke final in 25.52. Sajan Prakash was seventh in the 200m butterfly final. India's men's 4x100m medley relay team finished eighth in the final. The 4x200m freestyle relay team was ninth in the heats and missed the final. Aryan Nehra placed 11th in the 800m freestyle and 12th in the 1500m freestyle.

India sent an all-male, 12-member swimming squad to Tokyo. No Indian woman qualified. The medal drought now stands at 12 years. The last Indian swimming medal at the Games was Sandeep Sejwal's bronze in the 50m breaststroke at Incheon 2014.