Ace Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj continued his sensational form at the World University Games, rewriting the record books once again. On Sunday, the 24-year-old clocked an impressive 49.46 seconds in the men's 100m freestyle, setting a new ‘Best Indian Time’ and advancing to the semifinals with the 12th-fastest time overall.

In doing so, Nataraj eclipsed the long-standing mark of 49.47 seconds held by Virdhawal Khade since 2008. Khade had achieved the milestone during the Beijing Olympic cycle and won bronze in the same year at the Guangzhou Asian Games. Nataraj’s performance in heat 6 not only secured him a place in the semifinals but also brought an end to a 15-year-old benchmark, reinforcing his position as India’s premier freestyle swimmer.

This remarkable feat comes on the heels of his double success on Friday in the 200m freestyle, where he twice improved his own 'Best Indian Time'. In the heats, Nataraj clocked 1:48.22, bettering his previous best of 1:48.66 set just weeks ago at the Singapore National Swimming Championships. He topped his heat and qualified fifth overall for the semifinals.