Ace Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj came up with a season-best time but that was not enough for him to qualify for the semifinals of the men's 100m backstroke event at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan on Monday.
The Asian Games-bound swimmer clocked 55.26s to finish last in his heat and 31st overall. The top 18 swimmers across seven heats advanced to the semifinals.
The 22-year-old Nataraj, who had begun his season with a 55.60s effort to win the gold at the Singapore National Age Group in March, followed that up with a 55.29s swim at Mare Nostrum Swim Tour, Monaco in May.
Nataraj's personal best in the event is 53.77, which the Karnataka swimmer had clocked in 2021 to breach the Tokyo Olympics 'A' cut.
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