Asian Games: Sandeep Sejwal Ends India's Poor Run in Swimming, Fetches Bronze

Sandeep Sejwal gave India's floundering swimming campaign a massive fillip by fetching a rare bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke event of the Asian Games at Incheon on Friday. (Day 7 highlights | Medals tally)

The 25-year-old topped his heats by clocking 28.25s before holding on to the third spot in the final race with a timing of 28.26s.

The gold medal was bagged by Kazakhstan's Dmitriy Balandin, who bettered the Games record of 27.80s with a timing of 27.78s. The silver was clinched by Japan's Yasuhiro Koseki, who clocked 27.89s.

Sejwal's medal came as a huge respite for the Indian swimming team, which had been struggling to even make the finals of various events till now.

In the previous edition of the Games, India had ended a 24-year medal drought in discipline with Virdhawal Khade's bronze in the 50m butterfly event. Before Khade, Khajan Singh had won a medal in the Asiad way back in 1986. He had clinched a silver in the 200m butterfly event