Pratyasa Ray claims four golds and shatters two national records

Representing Odisha, Pratyasa Ray secured four gold medals and one silver while establishing two new national backstroke records at the 1st SFI Short Course National Swimming Championships 2026 in Ahmedabad. Competing at the four-day meet that concluded on Wednesday, she dominated her individual events. Ray finished first in the women's 50m backstroke with a time of 29.06 seconds. She then set fresh national benchmarks in the 100m backstroke, finishing in 1:02.21, and the 200m backstroke, clocking 2:16.20. These performances eclipsed the previous records of 1:02.36 and 2:17.44 originally held by Maana Patel.

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Team medals and coaching support

Beyond her individual success, Ray led the state's relay teams to podium finishes. She joined Divyanka Dibyajyoti Pradhan, Shristi Upadhaya, and Sonia Patel to win gold in the women's 4×100m medley relay. During the 4×100m freestyle relay, Ray, Upadhaya, Anshika, and Patel finished in 4:03.50 to take silver. Upadhaya also contributed an individual bronze medal in the women’s 100m butterfly, stopping the clock at 1:03.02. In total, the state contingent departed Gujarat with six medals, comprising four golds, one silver, and one bronze. This impressive medal haul highlights the structured training systems currently operating at the IIS JSW Swimming High-Performance Centre. Technical Director Douglas Eagar and coach Yurvesh Dubey guided the squad's preparation, ensuring these athletes could perform at peak levels on a national stage.