Ladies' College celebrates landmark swimming achievement

COLOMBO (ePRESS) – Ladies’ College made history by winning a national-level swimming event for the first time in 24 years. They emerged as the Overall Girls Champions at the MILO-sponsored 49th All Island Schools Aquatic Championship held at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Pool Complex.

Ladies’ College secured three titles: the Overall Girls Swimming Championship, the Senior Girls Championship, and the Under-20 Girls Championship.

The Flower Road school’s team, who won the Senior Girls Teams Championship with 287 points, accumulated a total of 397 points to clinch the Overall Girls Championship. They triumphed over Mahamaya Girls College, which scored 333 points to secure second place, and Lyceum International School Wattala, which finished third with 299 points.

Led by captain Nischka Nanayakkara, the Ladies’ College swimming team won seven gold medals, including two in relay events, 14 silver medals, including one in a relay, and 10 bronze medals, including two in relay events. The team’s vice-captains are Sithaarah Zuhair and Treasa Adams.

Gold Medal Performances:

Denila Robin: Dominated the Under-16 category, clinching gold in both the 100m butterfly and the 50m butterfly events.
Harshi Saparamadu: Excelled in the Under-20 division, securing a gold medal in the 200m backstroke.

Silver Medal Achievements:

Karishma Hewavisenti: Silver in Under-20 200m breaststroke and Under-20 100m breaststroke.
Amershhia de Silva: Silver in Under-16 200m breaststroke.
Aneeka Sumanatilake: Silver in Under-20 backstroke and Under-20 200m backstroke.
Shanessa Adams: Silver in Under-16 100m freestyle.
Nischka Nanayakkara: Silver in Under-20 400m freestyle and Under-20 200m butterfly.
Amara Watson-Kittle: Silver in Under-14 50m breaststroke and Under-14 200m IM.
Sayara Ferdinando: Silver in Under-10 50m breaststroke.

Bronze Medal Winners:

Harshi Saparamadu: Bronze in Under-20 100m backstroke.
Karishma Hewavisenti: Bronze in Under-20 200m IM.
Amara Watson-Kittle: Bronze in Under-14 200m IM.
Amiliza Rose Silva: Bronze in Under-12 50m freestyle.
Aneeka Sumanathilake: Bronze in Under-20 200m backstroke.
Sithaarah Zuhair: Bronze in Under-20 100m breaststroke.

The senior swimming team of Ladies’ College is coached by Kanishka Fernando, while the junior team is guided by Shamod Edirisinghe. Their success was supported by Sports Consultant Mrs. Dilrukshi Samaranayake, Sports Coordinator Mrs. Sandeepa Wijayanthi, and swimming Teacher-in-Charge Rashini Cooray, who all played pivotal roles in this historic victory.

Ladies’ College embraces the motto “HAEC VICTORIA NOSTRA FIDES” (“This is the victory even our faith”).

In 2023, Ladies’ College achieved 3rd place overall. Since then, their goal — led by Head Coach Kanishka Fernando, Junior Coach Shamod Edirisinghe, and TIC Rashini Cooray — has been to clinch the Sri Lanka School Swimming Championship the following year. Throughout 2024, every competition has been a crucial test, with a focus on monitoring the girls’ times, health, and fitness levels.

“I’m proud of Junior Coach Shamod Edirisinghe for his dedication in training and developing our junior swimmers to reach the top 8. TIC Rashini Cooray played a crucial role in maintaining discipline and motivating the girls by closely monitoring their individual performances,” said Head Coach Kanishka Fernando.

“Our success owes much to our home base at Ladies’ College Colombo 07. Furthermore, the unwavering support of the Principal, Sports Consultant, and Sports Coordinator has been invaluable. I also extend my gratitude to the parents for their commitment and trust in our coaching staff,” added the Head Coach.

The team takes pride in their three captains, Nischka Nanayakkara, Sithaarah Zuhair, and Treasa Adams, who, despite facing G.C.E O/L and London A/L exams, provided exceptional leadership that guided Ladies’ College to victory.

Their journey led them to a close second place at this year’s Pentathlon and the Western Province Swimming Meet, where they narrowly trailed a leading international school by just 3-2 points. The shared vision among the coaches, TIC, and captains is to restore the ‘Red and White Flag’ to its former glory of over two decades ago.

“As coach, I am immensely proud of this exceptional group of swimmers. Our journey is just beginning, and with the continued support of our sponsor, YETI Isotonic, we aim to maintain our winning momentum in future championships,” said Kanishka Fernando.

“This marks the beginning of a journey we intend to uphold in future championship victories,” concluded the Coach.

Ladies’ College Senior Swimming Team 2024: