COLOMBO, December 11 (ePRESS) — Rushalee Dissanayake of Musaeus College produced the first and most striking highlight of the five-day HNB National and Junior National Short Course Swimming Championships 2025 by slashing seven full seconds to set a new Girls Under-15 400m Freestyle Junior National Short Course record as the meet began at the Isipathana College Swimming Pool Complex in Colombo on Thursday.
The 14-year-old distance specialist, who trains under Rainbow Aquatics, stopped the clock at 4:48.20, wiping out her own previous mark of 4:55.52 set in last year’s edition. Her stunning improvement set the tone for the opening day of the championships organized by the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU).
Dissanayake not only rewrote the record books but also dominated the race from start to finish. She claimed the gold medal with a massive winning margin of 12 seconds ahead of silver medallist N. Sathsarani of Lyceum International School, Wattala, who clocked 5:00.70. The bronze medal went to Aheli Joseph of Killer Whale Aquatics, who clocked 5:03.39.
Musaeus College’s Girls Under-15 400m Freestyle Relay team created history at the Junior National Championships, setting a new national short course record. The quartet of Rushalee Dissanayake, Naduli Gamage, Senuki de Silva, and Kyeara Ranepura touched the wall in 4:25.06 to win the gold medal, breaking the previous record of 4:26.75, which was also held by Musaeus College in 2024.
Earlier in the morning, in the prelims, Musaeus College delivered a clinical, data-perfect performance, breaking the Junior National record with a time of 4:24.43. The team — Rushalee Dissanayake, Naduli Gamage, Senuki de Silva and Keyara Ranepura — shaved more than two seconds off the previous mark of 4:26.75, also held by Musaeus College from last year.
The most striking moment came from anchor swimmer Rushalee Dissanayake, who not only powered the relay to safety in the final metres but also broke the Junior National 100m Freestyle record during her split. Her split time of 1:01 also erased the Short Course 100m Freestyle record.
This year’s relay improvement was especially symbolic because three of the four swimmers — Dissanayake, Gamage and de Silva — also carried the school to the record last year.
Meanwhile, MF Muhammad produced another explosive swim as he improved his own Senior National record to win the gold medal in the Men’s 50m Breaststroke final, stopping the clock at a stunning 27.92 seconds. This powerful swim bettered the 28.61 he set earlier in the morning during the preliminary heats. His training partner from Killer Whale Aquatics secured the silver medal with 29.54, while the most important moment for schools swimming came when Qaid Farook of St Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya, claimed the bronze medal with a strong 30.16.
Earlier in the preliminary heats, 17-year-old Muhammad clocked 28.61 seconds, erasing the previous national mark of 28.68 set by Kiran Jasinghe in 2024. His race featured a near-perfect underwater phase, high stroke efficiency and minimal drag — key factors in short-distance breaststroke success.
Muhammad also outpaced his own training partner from Killer Whale Aquatics, Vinul Senanayake, who finished in 29.94, while Senitha Deenal of St Joseph’s College Colombo secured third place with 30.61.
At the Boys Under-15 200m Backstroke Junior National, Akalanka Nisal of St. Joseph’s College rewrote the record books. The youngest male swimmer in Sri Lanka’s national squad clocked 2:15.81 to claim the gold medal and set a new junior national short course record. Nisal erased the previous mark of 2:15.88 set by Adeetha Siriwardena of Wesley College in 2022.
Nisal dominated the race from start to finish, finishing with a comfortable five-second lead over silver medalist Rion de Silva of Royal International School, Kurunegala, who touched the wall in 2:20.57. Mihiru Randunu of Lyceum International School, Nugegoda, took the bronze with a time of 2:24.70.
Killer Whale Aquatics (KWA) dominated the Women’s 400m Freestyle Relay Senior National event, setting a new national short course record with a breathtaking lead. The team of Hiruki de Silva, Minagi Rupesinghe, Sasha Rajapakhe, and Kaitlyn de Zilwa touched the wall in 3:56.96, smashing the previous record of 4:03.50 set by KWA in 2022. Their performance was nearly 40 seconds faster than the silver medal winners, Lyceum International School Wattala, who finished in 4:36.47.
Lyceum’s quartet of Navanjana Siriwardena, Ohasi Uthsara, Thisumi Thilhara, and Vandani Fernando could not match KWA’s extraordinary pace.
The bronze medal went to Musaeus College, led by Vinuki Perera, Yomalee Soysa, Sandali Sumathipala, and Kalash Ranabahu, finishing in 4:44.07.
