Can India win any medals in swimming at Commonwealth Games 2026? Exploring the possibilities
Five Indian swimmers are participating at Glasgow CWG.
The Commonwealth Games 2026 is underway in Glasgow, Scotland, with the tournament running from July 23 to August 2. Athletes from 74 nations and territories will be vying for the 215 medals on offer in the multisport competition.
India, too, will aim to improve upon their 61-medal tally from the 2022 Birmingham Games. Inevitably, the focus will be on the traditional powerhouses such as wrestling and weightlifting.
However, the five-person Indian swimming contingent will be aiming to make their mark and bring the nation its first-ever CWG medal in the sport. Let’s dive into India’s swimming medal prospects.
Can India break swimming medal drought?
Indian swimmers have undoubtedly come a long way over the last decade, enjoying a lot of success on the domestic stage. However, they face a major challenge in securing a spot on the podium.
One look at the history books shows the scale of the challenge facing the Indian swimmers. Across 21 editions of the Commonwealth Games from 1934 to 2022, the country has never won a medal in able-bodied swimming.
Despite India securing top-five finishes in the last few CWG editions, swimming has been one sport that has eluded success.
In fact, the only time an Indian swimmer secured a podium finish in the Commonwealth Games was in the New Delhi 2010 Games, when para-swimmer Prasanta Karmakar clinched a historic bronze in the 50m freestyle S9 event.
On the other hand, able-bodied swimmers have failed to secure a spot at the top level, dominated by athletes from Australia, England, Canada, and South Africa.
India’s swimming contingent for Commonwealth Games 2026
This year, India have sent five swimmers to the tournament: Srihari Nataraj, Sajan Prakash, Aryan Nehra, Aneesh Gowda, and Dhakshian Shashikumar.
The biggest medal prospect, of course, is Nataraj, who currently holds the national records in the 50m backstroke, the 100m backstroke, and the 100m freestyle.
The 25-year-old from Bengaluru is competing in the 50m and 100m backstroke events. He has already qualified for the 50m backstroke semi-final after finishing fifth in the heats.
Meanwhile, butterfly specialist Sajan Prakash is possibly making his final CWG appearance in this edition. The 32-year-old holds the national record in the 200m butterfly, and he will compete in this event in the Glasgow Games.
On the other hand, Aryan Nehra will be the freestyle expert of the Indian contingent, currently holding the national records in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m events. Like Nataraj, he will be expected to lead the medal charge in the 1500m freestyle event, where he will compete.
Two more swimmers will compete in the freestyle category: 22-year-old Aneesh Gowda (200m) and Dhakshian Shashikumar (400m).
Realistically, only Nataraj is a genuine medal contender in this edition. His national record in the 100m backstroke is 52.81 seconds, which is good enough to challenge for a podium finish. However, the onus will be on him to repeat this outcome against the elite Australian and English backstrokers.
Similarly, Nehra will have to thoroughly shatter his 1500m freestyle record of 15:33.56 seconds to have any chance of challenging the established heavyweights.
Who are the Indian swimmers competing at Commonwealth Games 2026?
The five‑member squad includes Srihari Nataraj, Sajan Prakash, Aryan Nehra, Aneesh Gowda, and Dhakshian Shashikumar.
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Sushruta has spent over two years covering football, with a particular focus on Indian and international competitions. Alongside football, he has reported on a variety of sports, bringing curiosity and perspective to every story. When he’s not following the action, he can usually be found binge-watching movies or getting lost in a good book.