COLOMBO, Apr 24 (ePRESS) – Ten-year-old swimmer Sandini Nihinsa of Horizon College International produced a brilliant all-round performance to emerge Under-11 Girls Champion at the HNB 50th National Age Group Championship 2026, held at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool Complex in Colombo recently.
The rising star, winning two gold medals and two silvers with impressive timings across four events, stamped her class in the backstroke events, winning the 50m Backstroke in 39.45 seconds and the 100m Backstroke in 1:28.84 to clinch two gold medals.
She also showed strong versatility in freestyle, finishing second in the 100m Freestyle with a time of 1:19.26 and the 200m Freestyle in 2:58.88, securing two silver medals to seal the overall championship title in her age group.
Sandini’s success at the National Age Group meet came after another strong showing at the Intermediate Age Group Championship 2026, held in February this year. There, she won the 100m Backstroke in 1:28.42, while also collecting silver medals in the 100m Butterfly (1:36.51), 50m Butterfly (41.63 seconds) and 200m Freestyle (3:05.09). She also competed in the 50m Breaststroke, clocking 55.89 seconds and reaching the National Age Group qualifying standard.
Her steady rise had already been evident in 2025. At the Inter-International Schools Swimming Championship (TISSL) held in November last year, she dominated the Under-10 category, winning the 100m Freestyle in 1:20.75 and the 50m Backstroke in 40.45 seconds, both in new meet record times. She also took silver in the 50m Freestyle (35.97 seconds), while playing a key role in her team’s 4×50m Freestyle Relay gold medal-winning effort, which also set a new meet record, and finishing second in the 4×50m Medley Relay. She was crowned Under-10 Girls Champion of that meet.
Earlier, at the 50th Sri Lankan Schools’ Aquatic Sports Championships in June last year, Sandini showed promise against strong competition, winning silver in the 100m Freestyle (1:26.75), bronze in the 50m Freestyle (38.36 seconds), finishing fourth in the 50m Backstroke (48.87 seconds), and contributing to two bronze medals in the 4×50m Medley and Freestyle relays.
Sandini trains under the guidance of school head coach Sagara Sampath, while also sharpening her skills at the Aqua Shark Swimming Academy under coach Hasidu Rashantha.
With consistent results across national and school competitions, Sandini Nihinsa is fast emerging as one of Sri Lanka’s most promising young swimmers, with her latest national age-group title marking a major step forward in her budding career.
