Six Records Set on Opening Day of National Swimming Championships

Swimmers set six new national records on the opening day of the Max Group National Swimming Championships. Kajol Mia, Samiul Islam Rafi and Irfana Khatun impressed with record-breaking performances in individual events, while the Bangladesh Navy dominated the team events.

The competition began yesterday at the Syed Nazrul Islam National Swimming Complex in Mirpur. Around 470 male and 102 female swimmers from 79 teams are taking part in this year’s national championships. The participating teams include divisional and district sports associations, swimming clubs, the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP), universities, the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force, and Bangladesh Police.

Navy swimmer Kajol Mia set a record in the opening event. He clocked 1 minute 54.55 seconds in the men’s 200-metre freestyle, breaking his own record of 1:55.06 set last year.

Samiul Islam Rafi also bettered his own record in the men’s 50-metre backstroke. After setting the previous record of 26.05 seconds last year, he completed the event in 25.81 seconds this time.

Irfana Khatun of the Bangladesh Army set a new national record in the women’s 100-metre breaststroke. She clocked 1:17.36, breaking the previous record of 1:18.27 set by Romana Akter in 2024.

The Navy maintained its dominance in the team events as well. The men’s 4×100-metre relay team, comprising Rafi, Mohammad Islam, Asif Reza and Kajol Mia, set a new national record with a time of 3:30.37. The previous record of 3:32.18 was also held by the Navy, set last year.

The Navy also set a new record in the women’s relay. The team of Fatiha Mahtab Maisha, Poly Khatun, Mukta Khatun and Sonia Akter finished in 4:24.20, improving on the previous record of 4:25.55, which was also held by the Navy.

In addition, Navy diver Arpa Das established a new record in the one-metre springboard diving event.

The Navy topped the medal table at the end of the opening day with 18 medals, including nine gold, four silver and five bronze. The Bangladesh Army stood second with 15 medals, three gold, seven silver and five bronze.