Sirish Gurung sets national record in Rio Olympics
Cameron McEvoy of Australia competes in his heat of men's 100m freestyle in the Rio Olympics at Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: Reuters
Nepali swimmer Sirish Gurung set a new national record in men’s 100 m freestyle in Rio Olympics on Tuesday though he failed to progress to the second round from the initial stage of heats.
Sirish finished in 57.76 seconds in the heats and finished at the bottom among eight participants. He, however, bettered his own national record of 58.22 seconds.
Overall, Sirish finished in the 58th position among 59 participants. He had better timing than swimmer from Ethiopia only. Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers topped the heats round with a timing of 47.90 seconds.
Nepali swimming’s campaign ended in Rio following Sirish’s exit from the heats round. Earlier, Gaurika Singh, the youngest athlete among 10,000 plus players in Rio Olympics, had competed in women’s 100 m backstroke on Sunday. Gaurika, 13, had clocked 1 minute 8.45 seconds to complete the distance. She failed to surpass her own national record of 1 minute 7.31 seconds. She finished in the 31st position out of 34 competitors in the event.
