Sharath, sporting the Speedo Fastskin 3 Racing System, clocked a time of 1:18.81 minutes at the event.
"Though this was not my best performance, I am happy with the fact that in spite of being tired I was able to hold my pace, perform well and finish better," Gaekwad said.
At the event, World Record holder, Ukranian Andriy Kalyna won the gold medal after clocking a speed of 1:07.05 minutes. Austrian Andreas Onea won silver and Krzysztof Paterka from Poland settled for the bronze. Their timings were 1:12.99 minutes and 1:14.56 minutes respectively.
"I will give it my all and hope my performance takes me to the finals and I win a medal at the event," he said.