COLOMBO, Apr 28 (ePRESS) – Young swimmer Sanumi Nehansa of Lyceum International School Panadura built strong momentum ahead of the 50th National Age Group Swimming Championship 2026 by finishing second in the Under-13 1km race at the Port City Open Water Swimming Championship 2026, before going on to claim a silver and a bronze medal at the national age group meet held at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool Complex in Colombo recently.
At the 50th HNB National Age Group Swimming Championship 2026, Sanumi delivered an impressive performance in the Under-13 category, winning silver in the 200m freestyle (2:36.87) and bronze in the 100m freestyle (1:12.26). Her results highlighted her consistency across middle-distance freestyle events.
She also tested herself against older competitors at the 87th Annual Two Mile Sea Swim 2026, finishing eighth in the Under-15 category, gaining valuable experience in long-distance open water conditions.
Sanumi’s steady rise was evident in 2025 as well. At the Inter International Swimming Championship 2025, she secured silver in the Under-12 200m Individual Medley with a time of 3:06.11 and recorded 37.51 seconds in the 50m butterfly. At the 49th National Age Group Swimming Championship 2025, she won silver in the 400m freestyle (5:42.06) and bronze in the 200m freestyle (2:42.80).
In 2024, she showed strong all-round ability at the 49th Sri Lanka Schools All Island Age Group Swimming Championship, winning two silver medals in the Under-12 category — 100m backstroke (1:28.20) and 100m freestyle (1:13.50). She also finished third overall at the Pentathlon Swimming Championship 2024 in the Under-11 division.
Her breakthrough year came at the 48th National Age Group Aquatic Championship 2024, where she dominated the Under-11 events with gold medals in the 50m freestyle (34.49) and 100m freestyle (1:16.70), while adding silver medals in the 100m backstroke (1:33.68) and 200m freestyle (2:43.53).
Sanumi’s early promise was clear in 2023. At the 15th Sri Lanka Schools All Island Age Group Novices Championship, she won three gold medals in the Under-10 category — 50m backstroke (52.19), 50m butterfly (53.99) and 200m individual medley (3:52.57). She also secured a silver and two bronze medals at the 48th Sri Lanka Schools Age Group Championship 2023.
A major highlight came at the 28th Inter International Schools Swimming Championship 2023, where she set a new meet record in the Under-10 200m Individual Medley (3:17.88) and also won gold in the 50m butterfly (40.95) and 50m backstroke (44.72).
With strong results across both pool and open water events, Sanumi Nehansa continues to grow as a versatile young swimmer with a bright future ahead.
