Odisha swimming sensation Sai Swarup Swain continued dream run at the 51st Junior National Aquatic Championships in Ahemdabad as he bagged his second individual  medal with a gold in boys Group-II (13-14 years) 200m breaststroke at Naranpur Sports Complex today.

This was another historic achievement for the tall and gangling boy from Bhubaneswar, who became the first male swimmer from Odisha to win a gold medal in the Swimming Federation of India National championships.

Sai clinched the gold with a personal best (PB) time of 2 minutes 31.50 seconds, well ahead of Reyansh Kranthi Y (Karnataka), who secured the silver medal, clocking 2:33.44. The bronze medal in the event went to Chetan Nagaraja Ganapa (Karnataka), who did it with a time of 2:35.74.

Three days back, Sai, a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya No 1, won his maiden National medal with a bronze in 50m breaststroke. He, thus, became the first male swimmer from Odisha in 35 years to secure a Junior National medal.

Cadet of Bhubaneswar-based Odisha-IIS Swimming High Performance Centre, Sai has a bright chance of striking another gold in the ongoing championship. According to his parents Subash Chandra and Runu Swain, the promising swimmer will compete in 100m breaststroke tomorrow.

“Two National medals in four days have immensely boosted the confidence of Sai. With the 100m breaststroke being his favourite event, we are optimistic of another gold medal for him,’’ said Subash Chandra Swain, a police officer.

Congratulations poured in from all quarters for Sai on his gold medal triumph today. “Today is a historic day for Odisha swimming. Sai has made the State proud with his gold winning performance. The boy has got talent and if he stays with us we can make him an international medallist, said Swimming HPC Technical Director Douglas Eagar, who air-dashed from Bangalore to Ahmedabad only to see Sai in action and boost his confidence.

“Huge congratulations to Sai Swarup. You have made all of us proud with your trail blazing performance,’’ stated the Odisha State Swimming Association (TOSSA) president Pradip Kumar Padhee.

“Sai has achieved new milestones in the swimming history of Odisha. He is only 14 and can win Junior National medals for three more years. We at TOSSA wish him greater laurels in future. We are also thankful to the Government of Odisha for providing excellent support for the development of swimming in the State,” said the State association secretary Golapmani Mahanta.
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PHOTO: Odisha swimmer Sai Swarup Swain celebrates with his Junior National gold medal in Ahmedabad on 6 August 2025.