COLOMBO: (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka’s rising swimming star, Rushalee Dissanayake of Musaeus College, made an impressive start to the National and Junior National Short Course Swimming Championship at the Isipathana College Swimming Pool Complex in Colombo on Wednesday, setting a new junior national record in the Girls Under-15 400m Freestyle.
Dissanayake’s performance in the opening event of the day was nothing short of remarkable. She clocked 4:55.52, smashing the previous record of 4:56.12 set by South Asian Games medalist Hiruki de Silva of Gateway College Colombo in 2019. Dissanayake’s precise technique and steady pacing through all four laps displayed her growing potential, marking a strong early achievement in the competition.
The day also witnessed another record-breaking performance by Dissanayake, who anchored Musaeus College’s Girls Under-15 4x100m relay team to victory. She was joined by teammates Senuki de Silva, Naduli Gamage, and Sandhithi Ekanayake, and together they set a new junior national record of 4:26.75, eclipsing the previous mark of 4:27.63 set by Lyceum International School Wattala in 2017. The team’s synchronization and speed in the final leg were key to their success, making this victory all the more special for Dissanayake.
Another standout performance came from Jayden de Silva of Stafford International School. The 14-year-old swimmer became the first junior to finish the 100m Butterfly in under one minute, clocking a time of 59.58. This performance set a new junior national record, surpassing the previous record of 1:01.03 set by Amodya Dulshan of Nalanda College in 2018. Jayden’s breakthrough swim displayed not only technical skill but also the mental toughness required to push the boundaries of junior swimming in Sri Lanka. Notably, AIM Haathim of St Peter’s College also surpassed the previous record with a time of 1:00.04.
Zoe Tollit, an unattached swimmer, also had an excellent day, breaking the Girls Under-15 50m Breaststroke junior national record twice. In the preliminary round, the 14-year-old clocked 34.87, surpassing the previous record of 35.61 set by Ramudi Samarakoon of Visakha Vidyalaya in 2016. Tollit continued her fine form in the final, improving her time to 35.11, setting a new benchmark in the event.
In the Girls Under-15 200m Backstroke, Julie Hope of Cyclone Aquatics set a new junior national record in both the preliminary and final events. Hope first clocked 2:30.47 in the preliminary round, before improving her time to 2:29.52 in the final, surpassing the previous record of 2:30.68 held by Minagi Rupesinghe of St Bridget’s Convent in 2019. Her consistent performance in both rounds displayed great endurance and stroke efficiency.
Overall, the opening day of the five-day competition, organized by the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU), was a day to remember, with five new junior national records established. The competition continues Thursday at 8 AM, with finals scheduled from 3 PM onwards.
