India's dismal show in pool continues

Doha, Dec 6 (UNI) There was no let-up in the woes of the Indian swimmers with four of them failing to qualify from their respective heats in the 15th Asian Games here today.

In men's 100m freestyle heat 6, Ankur Poseria started in lane one and finished fifth among eight swimmers.

Ankur clocked 53.22 and was behind the leader Park Tae Hwan by 2.23. The Korean clocked 50.99 to top the heat.

The Indian took 25.81 to clear first 50m and timed 27.41 for his next 50m.

Park clocked 24.83 in his first 50m and 26.16 for the next.

Another Indian in this event, Virdhaval Khade, was placed fourth in the heat. He started in lane two and returned the time of 52.12 to finish behind leader and Japanese Daisuke Hosokawa by 1.29.

Khade timed 25.61 in his first 50m and was fifth placed but ended the next 50m in 26.51 to finish fourth.

On the other hand, Rehan Poncha got seventh place among the eight swimmers in the 200m Individual Medley heat 2.

The Bangalore-based swimmer timed 2;13.14 in the heat which was won by Kazakhstan's Dmitriy Gordiyenko who returned 2:05.89.

Poncha was a whopping 7.25 behind the leader as the Indian clocked 27.89 in his first 50m and followed it wit timings of 33.55, 40.11 and 31.59 in his next three stages of 50m each.

In the women section, Shikha Tandon ended seventh in a eight-swimmer heat in the 100m freestyle.

Shikha timed 1:00.68 while the heat winner Lee Keo Ra clocked 56.75 and the difference between the two was whopping 3.93.

Shika's time for first 50m was 28.83 and for the next 31.85.

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