New Delhi:
Keeping India's slender hope in swimming alive, Virdhawal Khade made the final in the men's 50m butterfly in the 19th Commonwealth Games but all others were eliminated at Dr SPM Acquatics Complex here on Tuesday.
On a day when Indian swimmers crashed out in the prelimanary rounds or in the semi-final, Khade kept the Indian challenge for a first swimming medal afloat by advancing to the summit race on Wednesday.
The Kolhapur-born teen finished sixth with 24.38-second effort that earned him a sixth place in the semis and a place in the final. Eight swimmers qualified for the final.
Khade yesterday led the Indian 4x400m relay team into the final, a historic feat, before they ended up 6th.
But Sandeep Sejwal faltered in the men's 100m breaststroke finishing 13th with a timing of 1:03.13.
Six other Indian swimmers also crashed out, even as Kiran Tak (38.79) and Anjani Patel (47.64) progressed to the semi-finals in the 50m S9 freestyle women's para-event.
In the final, the duo bettered their timings in the preliminary round but only to finish last two.
While Tak (38.74) finished seventh, Patel (46.25) was the last to finish.
In the prelims Khade recorded a time of 24.72 sec for eighth position and a place in the final, while compatriot Arjun Muralidharan could manage 26.37 to stand at 20th position and bow out.
It was the end of road for Jyotsana Pansare and Fariha Zaman in the 100m women backstroke competition.
They clocked 1:10.07 and 1:10.38 for the 20th and 21th positions in the heats.
Disappointment was in store for India in the 100m women's freestyle as Talasha Satish Prabhu also crashed out at the heat stage after finsihing 26th overall with a timing of 1:00.41.
Aaron D'Souza (1:54.10) and Rohit Havaldar (1:58.15) bowed out of the 200m freestyle men's heats.