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Indian swimmer Rishabh Das finished sixth in the mens 100m backstroke final at the Asian Games 2026 on Sunday, clocking 54.77 seconds.
Rishabh improved on his time from the heats, where he had finished fifth to qualify for the final. However, he could not close the gap on the leading swimmers in the medal race, according to ESPN. Chinas Xu Jiayu, the reigning world champion and Olympic silver medallist, dominated the final and clinched gold with a Games record time of 51.98 seconds. Japans Takehara Hidekazu finished second in 53.93 seconds, 1.95 seconds behind the winner, while South Koreas Lee Juho secured the bronze medal with a time of 53.94 seconds, just 0.01 seconds behind Takehara. Rishabh entered the final after finishing fifth in the heats with a time of 54.85 seconds. Although he secured his place in the medal round, he faced a significant challenge against a strong field, with only six-tenths of a second separating him from the swimmer who finished second in his heat. In the final, Rishabh produced a better performance and stopped the clock at 54.77 seconds, but it was not enough to challenge for the podium. Rishabh's sixth-place finish nevertheless marked India's first swimming final at the ongoing Asian Games and provided the youngster with valuable experience on the continental stage. India has so far won two medals and also confirmed a medal at the Asian Games 2026, with Elavenil Valarivan winning silver in the womens 10m air rifle individual event, while Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod claimed silver in the team event. Suchika Tariyal also secured a medal after defeating Mongolias Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the womens Traditional 60kg quarterfinal. (ANI)
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