Haldwani, Feb 2: Paris Olympian Srihari Nataraj led the charge for swimming powerhouse Karnataka with his fifth gold of the 38th National Games to equal team-mate and 14-year-old sensation Dhinidhi Desinghu, who for once finished second after winning five yellow metals, here Sunday.
Delhi shared the spoils with Karnataka with two gold medals each from the swimming pool on the day.
Nataraj clocked 56.26 seconds to win gold in men’s 100m backstroke, edging out teammate Akash (56.36) for the gold. Maharashtra’s Rishabh secured the bronze with 56.80s.
This was 24-year-old Nataraj’s sixth medal, having earlier won four gold — 200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x100m freestyle relay medley and 4x200m freestyle relay — and a silver — 50m freestyle.
Karnataka dominated the women’s 50m butterfly event with Nina claiming the gold in 28.38 seconds while Dhinidhi was second with a time of 28.80s.
Maharashtra’s Rujuta won the bronze, clocking 29.12s. (PTI)
