Karnataka swimmer nets bronze in Asian Para Games 2026

Swatik Patil from Belagavi won a bronze medal in the Asian Para Games. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Karnataka’s Swatik Patil, a para-swimmer, won the bronze medal in the men’s 100m breaststroke (SB9) at the Aichi–Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games in Japan on October 21. He clocked 1 minute 13.77 seconds to finish third in the final.Iran’s Sina Zeyghaminejad won gold with a time of 1:09.47 while compatriot Shahin Izadyar secured silver in 1:13.23.Swatik hails from Mutaga village in Belagavi district. An alumnus of NIT Allahabad, he currently works as a software developer at Zopping, balancing his professional career with his commitment to competitive swimming. He resides in Belagavi and trains at the Suvarna JNMC campus in Belagavi and the Nettakallappa Swimming Centre in Bengaluru.On October 22, his father Narayan Patil told reporters in Belagavi that he attributes his son’s success to his coaches — Umesh Kalghatagi, Sharat Chandra, Ankush Kanbarkar, Akshay Sheregar, Ajinkya Mendke, Nitish Kuduchkar, and Govardhan Kakatkar. Published - October 23, 2026 10:58 am IST