Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], August 20 (ANI): Vidith S Shankar of Karnataka broke his own national record with a sensational swim in the 100m breaststroke for group 1 boys at the 39th Sub Junior and 49th Junior National Aquatic Championships 2023 here in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
He clocked 1:04.26 to create the new national record. His previous timings were 1:05.04.
Jharkhand’s Rana Pratap who has been in superb form came close to Vidith’s timing but narrowly missed and settled for the silver medal with a timing of 1:04.89, while Bengal’s Sayan Bhowmik finished third with a timing of 1:06.72, as per a press release from the Swimming Federation of India. 
With just a day of action left at the new Aquatic Centre here in Bhubaneswar’s iconic Kalinga Sports Complex, action will continue on Sunday.
In the 100m breaststroke for group II boys, Tamil Nadu’s MS Nitheesh dominated the group with his strong performance. He clocked 1:08.80 to win the gold medal, while Maharashtra’s Archit Sameer Morvekar came in at second with a timing of 1:11.43 and Gujarat’s Arhaan Harsh clinched the bronze medal with a timing of 1:11.45.
In the 200m butterfly for group II boys, 13-year-old Akshaj Thakuria from Karnataka added a gold medal to his kitty by clocking 2:13.82. He was followed by Andhra Pradesh’s Yagna Sai Mongam and Karnataka’s Harikarthik Velu, who finished with timings of 2:16.07 and 2:17.51, respectively.
Meanwhile, in the 100m butterfly for the group III boys’ event, 11-year-old Abdul Hafeez from Tamil Nadu secured the gold medal with an impeccable timing of 1:08.98. Uttar Pradesh’s Ajeet Yadav came in at second having clocked 1:10.71, while Karnataka’s Vedant Anand Misale settled for bronze with a timing of 1:12.05.
In the 100m butterfly for group I girls, Telangana’s Vritti Agarwal dominated the group with her sensational swimming. She clocked 2:23.55 to clinch the gold medal, while Karnataka’s Hashika Ramachandra pushed to get the gold but narrowly missed it out with a timing of 2:23.64 and Maharashtra’s Dhriti Yogesh Ahirwal settled for the bronze medal with a timing of 2:28.04.
Interestingly, in the 200m butterfly for group II girls, the event witnessed Karnataka’s Tanishi Gupta and Dhinidhi Desinghu breaking the record set by Apeksha Fernandes (2:23.67) in 2019. Tanishi added the gold medal to her kitty with an impeccable timing of 2:21.45, while Dhinidhi Desinghu clocked 2:22.18. Maharashtra’s Nirmayee Sachin Ambetka came in at third with a timing of 2:31.95.
In the 100m butterfly event for group III girls, Bengal’s Sanithi Mukherjee bagged the gold medal. She clocked 1:08.47. Telangana’s Shivani Karra and Tamil Nadu’s P Shashini came in at second and third with timings of 1:11.61 and 1:11.87, respectively.
Meanwhile, in the boys’ 50m freestyle event for group II, Karnataka’s Ishaan Mehra created a national record with a timing of 24.68. He beat his own record of 24.71. Tamil Nadu’s Nitishsai Harinath clinched the silver medal with a timing of 25.60, while Assam’s Nibir Hazarika won the bronze medal with a timing of 25.89.
Results:
Boys:
Group I:
-100m breaststroke: 1. Vidith S Shankar (Kar) 1:04.26 NMR; Rana Pratap (Jhar) 1:04.89 NMR; Sayan Bhowmik (Ben) 1:06.72
-800m freestyle: 1. Saswata Roy (Ben) 8:37.23; 2. Gotteti Sampath Kumar Yadav (AP) 8:39.79; 3. Ronak Nitin Sawant (Mah) 8:39.89
-200m Butterfly: 1. Yug Chelani (Raj) 2:04.63; 2. Dharshan S (Kar) 2:07.99; 3. Deva Ganesh Neelam (AP) 2:08.47
Group II:
-200m butterfly: 1. Akshaj Thakuria (Kar) 2:13.82; 2. Yagna Sai Mongam (AP) 2:16.07; 3. Harikarthik Velu (Kar) 2:17.51
-100m breaststroke: 1. M S Nitheesh (TN) 1:08.80; 2. Archit Sameer Morvekar (Mah) 1:11.43; 3. Arhaan Harsh (Guj) 1:11.45
Group III:
-100m butterfly: 1. Abdul Hafeez 11 (TN) 1:08.98; 2. Ajeet Yadav 11 (UP) 1:10.71; 3. Vedant Anand Misale (Kar) 1:12.05
Girls:
Group I:
-200m butterfly: 1. Vritti Agarwal (Tel) 2:23.55; 2. Hashika Ramachandra (Kar) 2:23.64; 3. Dhriti Yogesh Ahirwal (Mah) 2:28.04
-400m freestyle: 1. Vritti Agarwal (Tel) 4:27.9; 2. Hashika Ramachandra (Kar) 4:33.95; 3. Shirin (Kar) 4:34.73
Group II
-400m freestyle: 1. Aditi Satish Hegde (Mah) 4:37.99; 2. Naisha (Kar) 4:40.77; 3. Meenakshi Menon (Kar) 4:42.11
-200m butterfly: 1. Tanishi Gupta (Kar) 2:21.45 NMR; 2. Dhinidhi Desinghu (Kar) 2:22.18 NMR; 3. Nirmayee Sachin Ambetkar (Mah) 2:31.95
Group III:
-100m butterfly: 1. Sanithi Mukherjee (Ben) 1:08.47; 2. Shivani Karra (Tel) 1:11.61; 3. P Shashini (TN) 1:11.87
-50m Freestyle: 1. Shreya Binil (Ker) 31.07; 2. Dhyani Patel (Guj) 31.43; 3. P Shashini (TN) 31.56. (ANI)

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