Ahmedabad: India’s leading distance swimmer Aryan Nehra loves thriving under pressure, and he did so admirably at the 79th Senior National Aquatics Championships in Ahmedabad, breaking national records in the men’s 800m and 1,500m freestyle, and winning another gold in the 400m freestyle on Sunday, the last day of the championship.“I am happy with my performance. The goal was to qualify for the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG) and the Asian Games. I have achieved that. Pressure to perform here was incredibly high. It was a do-or-die situation. Doing so in front of my family and the entire Indian swimming family made me feel incredible,” Aryan told TOI in an exclusive interaction.The 22-year-old Gujarat swimmer produced the performance of the championships in the men’s 800m freestyle, clocking a sensational 7:59.36 to win the gold medal and set a new Indian national record. In doing so, Aryan became the first Indian swimmer ever to break the eight-minute barrier in the event, a landmark achievement in Indian swimming.Prior to that, Aryan dished out a dominant display in the men’s 1500m freestyle, touching the wall in 15:14.88. The timing not only earned him the gold medal by a comfortable margin but also established a new national record, a new meet record and a personal best in addition to securing qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games and placed him well within the qualification standards for the 2026 Asian Games. The 400m freestyle gold was clinched with a timing of 3:55.34.Currently training in Antibes, France, with coach Fred Vergnoux under the World Aquatics Swim Development Programme, Aryan is the only Indian swimmer selected for the prestigious initiative.Without pointing to the dearth of quality in Indian swimming, the 22-year-old said, “I can really test myself against international swimmers. I tried a few things over here. It worked out. I got a good hang of swimming aggressively. My strokes were faster and I was able to maintain it consistently throughout the race. Training in France is working out. I have a lot more to give. This is just the beginning.”The field at the Commonwealth Games, Nehra admits, is incredibly competitive, while he is targeting the Asiad for improved timing.