Chirag Negi Claims Gold in 400m Freestyle
Chirag Negi from PAU Club won the gold medal in the 400m freestyle event for boys (Group II) at the Ludhiana District Sub-Junior and Junior Swimming Championship on Saturday. He completed the race in 5 minutes and 40.8 seconds at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) swimming pool.
Manntehveer Singh Deo of Ludhiana Club took the silver medal with a time of 5:48.74 seconds, while Bhavya Gupta, also from PAU Club, secured the bronze medal after finishing in 6:14.11 seconds. The championship, organized by the District Swimming Association, Ludhiana, features more than 160 young swimmers competing for individual and team honors over two days.
Other Winners and New Category
In the boys’ 800m freestyle (Group IB), Kunwar of Fin Flyers Club won the gold medal with a time of 12 minutes and 0.7 seconds. Aryan Mishra from Swim Force Club earned the silver medal in 12:47.70 seconds, and Kabir Singh, also from Swim Force Club, took bronze in 15:48.72 seconds.
In the girls’ 400m freestyle (Group II), Aaradhya of Fin Flyers Club dominated the pool, winning the gold medal in 6 minutes and 35.94 seconds.
Balraj Sharma, secretary of the association, highlighted the introduction of the Group-IV category (10 years and under) this year to encourage young talent and strengthen grassroots development in the sport.
Championship Inauguration and Future Events
The championship was declared open by PAU Vice-Chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal, who also felicitated medal winners and encouraged participants to strive for excellence. Apinder Singh Grewal, president of the association, stated that selected swimmers will represent Ludhiana at the 37th Punjab Sub-Junior, 49th Junior, and 47th Senior Punjab State Swimming Championship scheduled to be held in Ferozepur from July 24 to July 26.
