Odisha swimmer Shristi Upadhaya brought laurels to the state by winning gold in the women’s 100m butterfly event on Day 1 of the 78th Senior National Aquatic Championships 2025, which kicked off at the Kalinga Stadium Aquatic Centre in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. The 23-year-old clocked an impressive 1:03.50 to clinch the top podium position, edging out Railways’ Astha Choudhury, who had to settle for silver. Olympian Dhinidhi Desinghu, who is also heading to the Paris Olympics 2024, bagged the bronze in a fiercely contested race.

This marks Shristi's second career gold at the National level, with her first coming in the 4x100m Medley Relay alongside her Odisha teammates during last year’s championships held in Mangaluru, where she had also secured a silver and a bronze. Her consistent performance continues to underline her growing stature in Indian swimming. The event was officially inaugurated earlier in the day by Odisha Sports Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, who praised the efforts of the athletes and the organizers for bringing a national-level aquatic event back to Odisha.

A 14-member Odisha swimming team is competing in the championships, which will feature some of India’s top swimmers in the coming days. These include Srihari Nataraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu—both of whom will represent India at the Paris 2024 Olympics—along with seasoned swimmers like Sajan Prakash, Aryaan Mehra, and Kushagra Rawat. The National Championships, being held at the world-class aquatic facility in Kalinga Stadium, are expected to witness high-level competition and serve as a crucial platform for identifying and grooming India’s swimming talent ahead of international events.