COLOMBO: (ePRESS) – Jayden de Silva, a rising butterfly swim star from Stafford International School, has made a notable impact at the Junior National Boys Swimming Championships. Winning medals in all five of his events, Jayden single-handedly propelled his school to secure sixth place, overcoming formidable swimming teams from Royal College Colombo, Ananda College, Nalanda College, Ceylon Swimming Academy Dubai, and Trinity College.
Jayden, 14, played a crucial role in the Junior National Championships, bringing his school to 6th place by winning medals in all five of his events. He achieved personal best times in every race, exhibiting his exceptional talent and commitment.
In the 50m butterfly, Jayden won gold with a time of 27.90 seconds. He also secured gold in the 100m butterfly, clocking in at 1:02.41. His silver medals came in the 200m butterfly (2:23.74) and 100m backstroke (1:08.36). Additionally, he earned a bronze medal in the 200m backstroke with a time of 2:29.51. Jayden’s outstanding performance earned 116 points for Stafford International School, significantly contributing to their top six finish.
Under the expert guidance of Stafford International School’s Head Coach Janaka Prasad and rigorous training at Killer Whale Aquatics (KWA), Jayden de Silva has shown remarkable progress in his swimming career. Notably, Jayden improved his personal best in the 200m butterfly by 16 seconds, earning a silver medal at the Junior National Swimming Championships.
Jayden de Silva, born in 2010, began his swimming journey in 2018 with Swim America, a US learn-to-swim program associated with KWA. After completing the program, he advanced to the KWA squad in July 2022 and has been competitively swimming for a year and a half.
In November 2023, Jayden emerged as the Inter-International School U14 champion, securing three gold medals in the 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly, and 100m backstroke. However, he took a six-month break from swimming due to a shoulder injury, resuming his training in April 2024 under the guidance of Kyle Abeysinghe, the junior squad head coach and Sri Lankan Olympian at KWA.
Next week, Jayden will begin training with the KWA senior squad, coached by two-time Olympian Matthew Abeysinghe, and will be under the mentorship of Manoj Abeysinghe, the founder and head coach of KWA.
