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Glasgow [Scotland], July 24: Indian swimmers had a successful outing at the Commonwealth Games 2026 on Friday. Para swimmers Karthik Budigina and Ali Imam both qualified for the men's 100m freestyle S13 final, while Olympian Srihari Nataraj advanced to the semifinals of the men's 50m backstroke.

As reported by ESPN, 18-year-old Budigina made a remarkable debut at the Commonwealth Games, finishing third in the men's 100m freestyle S13 heats with a time of 57.10 seconds. The visually impaired athlete was in fourth place at the halfway mark but surged ahead to secure a top-three finish.

Stephen Clegg from Great Britain led the heats with a time of 56.57 seconds, leaving Budigina just 0.53 seconds shy of the fastest qualifying time.

Budigina, who is considered one of India's promising para swimming talents, transitioned to swimming from rowing during the COVID-19 pandemic and has shown impressive progress since then.

Ali Imam, also making his Commonwealth Games debut, qualified for the final despite finishing last in the heats with a time of 1:05.32. Competing in the S12 classification internationally, Imam participated in the S13 event, where all eight competitors advanced to the medal race scheduled for later on Thursday.

In addition, Srihari Nataraj celebrated his qualification for the semifinals of the men's 50m backstroke. He finished fifth in Heat 4 with a time of 25.52 seconds, placing him 14th overall across the heats, which was sufficient to secure a semifinal spot.

Nataraj entered the Games having met the qualification standard of 25.39 seconds and aims to enhance his performance in the upcoming semifinal.

Pietr Coetze from South Africa set the fastest time in the heats at 24.45 seconds, finishing 1.07 seconds ahead of Nataraj.

India will have three swimmers competing in the evening session, with Budigina and Imam vying for medals in the para swimming final, while Nataraj seeks to secure a place in the men's 50m backstroke final.