SportsPosted at: Oct 4 2026 9:41PM


Ekbote leads Indian charge as Asian Masters Swimming Championship kicstarts

Bengaluru, Oct 4 (UNI) Jay Prakash Ekbote led the Indian charge with a commanding gold in the men's 25–29 50m breaststroke as the 2nd Asian Masters Swimming Championship 2026 got off to a competitive start here on Sunday, with swimmers from across Asia making their mark in the pool.
Ekbote clocked 29.44 seconds to top his age category, finishing ahead of compatriots Shubham Upadhyay (30.12) and Yash Vikas Bagwe (32.10) as Indian swimmers made an early impact at the championship.
The opening day's action featured the 50m breaststroke across several men's and women's age categories, with India claiming multiple podium places and international swimmers from Sri Lanka, Thailand and Iran adding to the Asian flavour of the competition.
In the men's 40–44 category, Ankit Somani secured gold in 32.68 seconds, ahead of Shrikant Palande (34.68), while Iran's Seyed Ali Zahedi finished third in 37.81 seconds.
Surendra Naik added another Indian gold in the men's 65–69 category, winning in 47.04 seconds. Pundalika Kharvi (49.68) and Chandrasekaran T (50.35) completed the podium.
India also enjoyed success in the women's events, with Aarti Bajirao Patil winning the 25–29 category in 38.16 seconds. Aditi Avinash Nilangekar took silver, while Thailand's Sirimon Kalumpanant finished third.
Varuna Mayya claimed the women's 40–44 gold in 45.91 seconds, followed by Anisha Bhimjyani and Bhawna Anand.
Sri Lanka's Shalini Wickramasuriya provided one of the day's international highlights, winning the women's 65–69 category in 57.00 seconds. India's PrasannaKumari and Suman Choudhary finished second and third respectively.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister G Parameshwar attended the championship and encouraged the participating athletes.
The championship, being held from October 4 to 10, has brought together Masters swimmers from across Asia, offering competition across age groups while highlighting the growing culture of competitive swimming and lifelong sporting participation.
With Ekbote setting the tone on the opening day, the Indian contingent will look to build on its strong start as the week-long championship progresses.
UNI BDN
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