Mangaluru: 77th national senior swimming championship kicks off

Team Udayavani, Sep 11, 2024, 8:43 AM IST

Hashika Ramachandra

Mangaluru: The 77th National Senior Swimming Championship, hosted for the first time at the new international swimming pool complex at Yemmekere, began on Tuesday under the auspices of the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) and the Karnataka Swimming Association.

Over 450 athletes from 31 states are participating, including Olympian Srihari Nataraj and freestyle specialist Aneesh Gowda.

The first day saw the host Karnataka claim the top spot with nine medals, with Hashika Ramachandra setting a new national record in the women’s 400m freestyle, clocking 4.24 minutes.

Inaugurating the event, Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan expressed pride in hosting a national-level championship in Mangaluru for the first time. He emphasized that the city’s status as an educational hub should be complemented with more such sports events. The championship is being held in the state-of-the-art Olympic-style pool, constructed under the Smart City project.