Srihari Nataraj advances to Commonwealth 50m backstroke semis

Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj advanced to the semifinals of the men’s 50m backstroke at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow after clocking 25.52 seconds to finish 14th overall in the heats, just making the top-16 cutoff. In the same session, para-swimmer Budigina and Imam Ali reached the 100m freestyle S13 final, posting 57.10 and 1:05.32 respectively, with all eight heats qualifiers advancing. Moreover, the day featured a major development off the pool as Birmingham CWG silver medallist judoist Tulika Maan was provisionally suspended by NADA for three whereabouts failures in the past year. Organizers indicated the semifinals for Nataraj would be held later that night, with England’s Oliver Morgan and South Africa’s Peter Coetzee posting strong heat times in the earlier round. The coverage also highlighted India’s para powerlifting, gymnasts, and boxers as other contingents sought medals on Day 2 of the Glasgow Games. Overall, the day underscored both India’s competitive showings in swimming and the impact of anti-doping actions on the broader Games narrative.