K’taka, TG swimmers shine on Day 1

Hyderabad: Strong performances marked the opening events of the 36th South Zone Aquatic Championship 2025, being held from December 27 to 29 at the Aquatic Complex, GMC Balayogi Stadium, Gachibowli, Hyderabad. The championship is being organised by the Telangana Swimming Association and has brought together top young swimmers from across southern states.

In the Girls’ 15–17 1500m freestyle (Group 1), Karnataka swimmers dominated, with Adithi Vinayak Relekar clinching gold in 19:09.58, followed by teammate Prathiksha N Gowda (19:41.95). Telangana’s Likhitha G Merupula secured the bronze. Karnataka also topped the Girls’ 13–14 400m freestyle (Group 2) through Tanvi Gaurav (4:57.66), with Idika Bhat finishing second, while Jona Shiju of Telangana placed third.

Telangana struck gold in the Girls’ 15–17 200m breaststroke (Group 1) as Dakshinya Harini Gidijala won in 2:55.42, narrowly ahead of Andhra Pradesh’s Pavani Sarayu N. In the Girls’ 11–12 100m breaststroke, Karnataka’s Drithi Abhilash emerged winner.

The Boys’ 15–17 50m butterfly saw Telangana’s Ishan Das take first place in 26.44 seconds. Shivani Karra of Telangana was the standout performer in the Girls’ 13–14 category, winning both the 200m freestyle (2:17.93) and 100m backstroke (1:10.82).

In other events, Rohith N of Tamil Nadu won the Boys’ 11–12 100m backstroke, while Karnataka swimmers continued to feature prominently across podium finishes, underlining the depth of talent on display as the championship progresses.