The Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, for Srihari Nataraj, offers another opportunity to turn years of steady progress into history.
At the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, the Bengaluru swimmer finished fifth in the men’s 50m backstroke final with a time of 25.23 seconds, narrowly missing out on a medal.
Four years later, he heads to Glasgow after clocking 25.21 seconds in the 50m backstroke heats at the Senior National Aquatics Championships in Ahmedabad, qualifying for the Games and once again carrying India’s hopes of winning its first individual Commonwealth Games swimming medal.
Early years
Srihari Nataraj’s swimming journey began when he was just two-and-a-half years old, inspired by his elder brother and encouraged by his mother. By the age of five, he had won his first competitive medal, and the sport quickly became a passion.
Over the years, he has established himself as one of India’s finest backstroke swimmers, holding seven national records and representing the country at two Olympic Games. Glasgow 2026 will mark his third Commonwealth Games appearance.
International breakthrough
Nataraj made his senior international debut at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast at the age of 17. Competing in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events, he reached the semifinals of the 100m backstroke and broke the Indian national record twice in a single day.
Later that year, he represented India at the Asian Games in Jakarta, where he clocked his personal best of 56.19 seconds in the 100m backstroke.
His steady rise continued over the following years, culminating in him becoming the youngest Indian swimmer to achieve the Olympic ‘A’ qualification standard for the Tokyo Olympics.
Alongside his swimming career, Nataraj also completed his MBA while balancing an elite training schedule of four to six hours a day.
Career highlights
Asian Games 2018
At just 17, Nataraj reached the finals of both the men’s 50m and 100m backstroke events, announcing himself as one of India’s brightest swimming talents.
South Asian Games 2019
He enjoyed one of the most successful meets of his career in Kathmandu, winning four gold medals across backstroke events and establishing himself as one of South Asia’s leading swimmers.
World Aquatics Championships
Across the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju and the 2022 edition in Budapest, Nataraj consistently finished among the world’s top 30 backstroke swimmers.
Olympic Games
After earning the Olympic ‘A’ qualification standard at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome, Nataraj represented India in the men’s 100m backstroke at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He finished 27th overall in Tokyo with a time of 54.31 seconds.
Commonwealth Games 2022
Birmingham proved to be his breakthrough Commonwealth Games campaign. Nataraj became the first Indian swimmer to qualify for multiple individual finals at a single edition of the Games.
His performances included:
Fifth in the men’s 50m backstroke (25.23s)
Seventh in the men’s 100m backstroke (54.55s)
Ninth in the men’s 200m backstroke after missing the final by just 0.19 seconds while setting a new national record of 2:00.84
Asian Games 2023
In Hangzhou, he anchored India’s men’s 4x100m medley relay team to a fifth-place finish while helping the team set a new national record of 3:40.20.
Asian Aquatics Championships 2025
Competing on home soil in Ahmedabad, Nataraj won three medals, including bronze in the men’s 4x100m medley relay alongside his teammates.
National competitions
Domestically, Nataraj has been a dominant force, including winning nine gold medals at a single National Games while excelling across multiple disciplines.
Road to Glasgow
Heading into Glasgow, Nataraj has expanded his repertoire beyond backstroke, qualifying not only in his signature event but also in the men’s 100m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay.
With two Olympic appearances, seven national records and an impressive showing in Birmingham behind him, the Bengaluru swimmer heads into his third Commonwealth Games as India’s strongest medal prospect in the pool.
After narrowly missing the podium four years ago, Glasgow could provide the opportunity to script history by becoming the first Indian to win an individual swimming medal at the Commonwealth Games.
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