Karnataka top medal tally as Senior National Aquatic Championships conclude in Bhubaneswar

Karnataka emerged as the dominant force at the 78th Senior National Aquatic Championships 2025, finishing at the top of the medal tally as the event concluded in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

The team secured a total of 41 medals, comprising 16 gold, 11 silver, and 14 bronze, outpacing strong performances from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

The final day witnessed standout individual performances, most notably from Karnataka’s Shoan Ganguly, who set a new all-time Indian best in the Men’s 400m Individual Medley, clocking 4:24.64. This performance broke the previous record of 4:25.62 held by Advait Page since 2021. Ganguly also bettered the Indian best in the 200m Individual Medley, posting a time of 2:04.34 to surpass Sajan Prakash’s 2023 mark of 2:04.57.

Among the other top performers a the four-day event was Rujula S, who delivered consistently across events, including a gold in the 50m freestyle with a timing of 26.36 seconds. She also broke a 17-year-old national record in the 100m freestyle, previously held by Shikha Tandon, by 0.01 seconds.

Dhinidhi Desinghu continued her strong run of form in the 200m freestyle, clocking 2:02.97 to better her own national record set earlier this year at the National Games.

In the men’s 100m butterfly, Benedicton Rohit broke new ground with a time of 52.57, improving on Virdhawal Khade’s long-standing record of 52.77 set in 2009.

Another record fell in the women’s 1500m freestyle, where Bhavya Sachdeva finished in 17:35.07, breaking Malavika V’s meet record from 2014.

Final Medal Tally (Top 3):

Karnataka – 16 Gold, 11 Silver, 14 Bronze (Total: 41)

Maharashtra – 6 Gold, 6 Silver, 5 Bronze (Total: 17)

Tamil Nadu – 8 Gold, 5 Silver, 3 Bronze (Total: 16)

The championships, held from June 22 to 26, saw multiple national and meet records fall, highlighting the growing depth and competitiveness in Indian aquatic sports ahead of major international competitions.