KIUG 2022: Nataraj wins gold in 50m freestyle, Jain University soar to top of medal table

Bengaluru: Tokyo Olympian swimmer Srihari Nataraj clinched a gold medal in the 50m freestyle, clocking 23.23 seconds, on day two of the Khelo India University Games here on Monday.

The 21-year-old Nataraj broke Mihir Ambre’s meet record timing of 23.78 seconds from the previous edition as he produced his fastest time in an individual race in the event.

Nataraj’s win added gloss to a dominant performance from hosts Jain University, which soared to the top of the medal table with the help of four golds in swimming. The swimming events also saw five new KIUG records.

At the end of second day, 17 universities had already won a gold and as many as 41 had marked their presence on the medal table.

With 10 medals up for grabs in swimming, the first went to Savitribai Phule Pune University’s Shubham Dhaygude in the men’s 400m freestyle. Punjabi University, the overall winners at the 2020 edition, won their first gold at this edition, via Ishneet Aulakh in the women’s 25m individual pistol.

Aulakh and her team were beaten to silver in the team event by their state rivals Panjab University. Bharathiar University scored a massive upset in the women’s volleyball semifinals, toppling SRM University 3-0.

In the day’s final event in the pool, Shivaji University’s Rujuta Khade broke yet another KIUG record in the women’s 50m freestyle, with a time of 27.38. Juturi Koteswara Rao registered Krishna University’s first ever gold at the Games in the women’s 73kg class.