BUDAPEST, Hungary, November 12, 2025 (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka’s number one ranked swimmer in FINA points, Ramudi Samarakoon, who is training in Hungary on a World Aquatics Scholarship, broke an 18-year-old Sri Lankan women’s 200m breaststroke short course national record at the Hungarian Short Course Swimming Championships.
The 23-year-old, a multiple national champion in Sri Lanka — Long Course 2017, 2019, 2022; Short Course 2019, 2022 — also renewed her own 100m breaststroke short course record, completing a remarkable double in Budapest.
Ramudi clocked 1:12.15 in the 100m breaststroke, erasing her previous record of 1:12.32 set in 2022, and finished the 200m breaststroke in 2:36.91, breaking the long-standing record of 2:37.48 held by South Asian Games gold medalist Mayumi Raheem since 2007.
With these two new records, Samarakoon now holds all six national breaststroke records — three in long course and three in short course — making her the most complete breaststroke swimmer in Sri Lanka’s history. She currently leads the country’s 25-member national women’s swimming squad with 663 FINA points in the 100m breaststroke.
Her long course records include 50m breaststroke (33.65), 100m breaststroke (1:13.53), and 200m breaststroke (2:39.92), all achieved at the national championships earlier this year. In addition, she holds six relay national records, including both long course and short course events in medley and freestyle relays.
A product of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo, Samarakoon’s swimming journey began at the Killer Whale Aquatics (KWA). She started at age seven in 2010, the year of KWA’s inauguration in Sri Lanka, through their Learn to Swim program. She quickly progressed to represent KWA’s elite swimming squad, winning multiple national championships, and earning several international medals while training and competing for KWA at nationals. She also served as Swimming Captain of Visakha Vidyalaya in 2019.
Ramudi dominated Sri Lanka’s Schools Swimming championships, setting records and becoming champion in Under-15 (2016), Under-17 (2017) and Under-18 (2018, 2019) categories. Her early promise was also recognized when she was awarded “Up and Coming Athlete” at the Sri Lanka School MILO Colours Awards in 2017.
Her first international competition was the 8th Asian Age Group Championships in 2015, Bangkok, Thailand, where she competed in the 100m breaststroke finals in the under-15 category. She later represented Sri Lanka at the 6th Children of Asia Games in Yakutsk, Russia in 2016, the World Junior Championships in 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the 2019 World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and the ISF World Schools Swimming Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2019, gaining invaluable experience against top international swimmers.
At just 13 years old, she represented Sri Lanka at the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati, India, winning a bronze medal and earning the admiration of the island’s swimming community. That same year, at the South Asian Aquatic Championships in Colombo, an age-group competition, Samarakoon competed in the under-15 girls category, striking gold once and adding five silver and one bronze medal to her tally.
At the 2019 South Asian Games in Kathmandu, Nepal, she became one of Sri Lanka’s most consistent female performers, winning three silver and four bronze medals despite facing stiff competition.
Reflecting on her latest success, Samarakoon said,
“Before this meet, I held five Sri Lankan breaststroke records, but the 200m record by Mayumi Raheem from 2007 was always just out of reach for me. Being able to finally break it, along with my own 100m record again, and now holding all six national breaststroke records, is something I’m still taking in.”
She added,
“What makes this moment meaningful isn’t just the records. It’s the journey behind them — the early mornings, the setbacks, the doubts, and the small improvements no one notices. This sport has humbled me many times and taught me that growth doesn’t always look like straight lines or perfect days.”
On her broader motivation, Samarakoon said,
“I should also mention that my journey was never driven by the desire to break national records or out-swim anyone else. My true goal has always been bigger than that. I wanted to rise to the standards I set for myself and bring my country the recognition it deserves. From the beginning, one of my greatest dreams wasn’t just to be a swimmer who reached the world’s biggest stages — the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, or Asian Games — but to become someone Sri Lanka would remember for the impact I made. Not just a name on a start list, but a swimmer whose work, dedication, and achievements meant something far beyond the pool.”
The Budapest meet, she said, gave her a renewed sense of purpose.
“It reminded me why I swim — not just for fast times, but for the lessons, the resilience, and the happiness it brings into my life. This doesn’t feel like an ending, it feels like a new beginning — with new goals and a full heart.”
Swimming experts believe that Samarakoon, now in her peak form, could become Sri Lanka’s most decorated female swimmer if the South Asian Games return next year. She represented Sri Lanka at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, and though she missed the 2022 Short Course Worlds in Melbourne due to financial constraints faced by the national team, her progress has never slowed.
With her consistent performances, many believe that Ramudi Samarakoon is on course to represent Sri Lanka at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, a goal that seems closer than ever for the determined swimmer who continues to inspire a new generation with every stroke. (www.epress.lk)
Samarakoon’s golden stroke breaks barriers and records
Ramudi Samarakoon – Fact File
Age: 23
School: Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo
University: Corvinus University of Budapest – BA in International Relations
Club: Killer Whale Aquatics
Swimming Captain: 2019
School Award: Most Outstanding Sportswoman, 2019
National Championships
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Long Course: 2017, 2019, 2022
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Short Course: 2019, 2022
National Records
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Holds all six breaststroke records (50m, 100m, 200m; long & short course)
Relay Records
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Holds six national relay records (long & short course, medley & freestyle)
First International Competition
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2015: 8th Asian Age Group Championships, Bangkok, Thailand (100m Breaststroke, Under-15)
Major International Events
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6th Children of Asia Games, 2016 – Yakutsk, Russia
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World Junior Championships: 2017 (Indianapolis, USA) & 2019 (Budapest, Hungary)
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ISF World Schools Swimming Championship, 2019 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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South Asian Games:
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2016 (Guwahati, India) – Bronze
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2019 (Kathmandu, Nepal) – 3 Silver, 4 Bronze
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Current FINA Points
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663 in 100m Breaststroke – Highest-ranked female swimmer in Sri Lanka (2025)
Killer Whale Aquatics
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Joined at age 7 (2010)
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Trained and represented elite squad
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Won multiple national and international medals
Notable Achievement
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Broke 18-year-old 200m Breaststroke short course national record in Hungary, 2025
Olympic Prospect
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On track for Los Angeles 2028
