CWG 2022: Srihari Nataraj qualifies for 100m backstroke semi-finals; Sajan Prakash, Kushagra Rawat fail to progress

Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj qualified for the semi-finals of the men's 100m backstroke event after finishing fifth in the heats.

Competing in Heat 4, Srihari Nataraj clocked 54.68s to finish third in his heat and fifth overall.

He had a reaction time of 0.56s and kept up with most of the field throughout the 100m event.

Srihari Nataraj qualifies for 100m backstroke semi-finals.

Srihari is the only Indian swimmer to progress to the semi-finals as both Sajan Prakash and Kushagra Rawat were knocked out in the heats after finishing 14th overall, with the top eight qualifying.

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On the other hand, Kushagra Rawat finished eighth in the 400m freestyle heats with a time of 3:57.45s while Sajan Prakash was also shown the door out of the 50m butterfly heats when he finished last with a time of 25.01s. He was 24th overall and missed out on a place in the semi-finals.

Srihari has received good assistance from the Sports Authority of India and has also done well, competing in a plethora of events in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games 2022.

Srihari is part of the Sports Ministry's Target Olympic Podium Scheme and has done well in the Khelo India University Games and other international events. The swimmer said he was using the aforementioned events as a training pad to guage his game before the CWG 2022.

Given how he has performed in the recent past, the Indian swimmer should do well in the semi-finals.

When and where to watch Srihari Nataraj's semi-finals?

The 100m backstroke semi-finals will start at 1 am on July 30. Sony Sports Network has the broadcast rights for the Commonwealth Games 2022 in India.

Sony TEN 1, Sony TEN 2, Sony TEN 3, Sony SIX, and Sony TEN 4 will live telecast the CWG 2022 in India. Live streaming will be available on the Sony LIV app and website.