Pratyasa Ray won the first medal for Odisha in the SFI Open National Ranking Swimming Championship, securing silver in women 100m backstroke and a cash award of Rs 7,000 at the Gachibowli Swimming Pool in Hyderabad today. She finished second in the event, clocking 1:09.09.

Three more Odisha swimmers became eligible for cash awards by securing places among top eight finishers on the opening day. Among the three, Mannata Mishra finished fifth in women 200m breaststroke with a timing of 2:55.93, which fetched her a cash award of Rs 4,000.

Vadra Satpathy occupied joint sixth place in women 400m freestyle, clocking 5:12.23, while Nabin Sharma claimed seventh position in men 100m backstroke with a timiing of 1:08.62.

Odisha State Swimming Association had fielded a 24-member squad in the four-day championship. The 24 swimmers include 13 men and 11 women.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Odisha ace Pratyasa Ray displays her silver medal at the SFI Open National Ranking Swimming Championship in Hyderabad on 20 December 2022.