Royal College and Bishop’s College, led by siblings Matheesha Marambe and Kithmi Marambe, secured top honors in the National, Junior National, and Sub-Junior National Diving Championship held at Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Pool on November 4 and 5, ending a six-year wait for victory.
Royal College claimed the championship title with 148 points, followed by Royal College Union Aquatic Club with 30 points securing the runners-up position. In the girls’ category, Bishop’s College gathered 96 points, triumphing over St. Bridget’s Convent, the runners-up with 36 points.
Coach Prasad Dissanayake from the Royal College Union Aquatic Club received the National Best Diver (Men’s) accolade, closely followed by Matheesha Marambe, the Royal College team captain. Kithmi Marambe from Bishop’s College secured the National Best Diver (Women’s) Award for the second consecutive year.
Yusuf Shihar from Royal College and Kisara Ranawaka from St. Bridget’s Convent were awarded the Junior National Best Diver (Men’s) and (Women’s) Awards, respectively.
In the Sub-Junior category, Mikhail Jayaweera from Royal College claimed the Best Diver (Men’s) Award, and Vinudi Kankanamge from Visaka Vidyalaya secured the Best Diver (Women’s) Award.
Contributions from divers like Venuka Kankanamge, Seniru Rodrigo, Ruel Wickramaratne, Daham Marambe, and Senitha Weerasekara significantly bolstered Royal College’s team score. Meanwhile, Shania Silva, Selina Silva, Vinaya Perera, Sineli Weerakoon, and Yashodha Pilapitiya were instrumental in Bishop’s College’s success.
About 40 of the country’s top divers competed in the 1m/3m springboard for individual and overall championship titles across various categories, such as Sub-Junior National (Under-15), Junior National (Under-18), and National (18 and above), enhancing exposure for the participants.
A panel of five judges, including former national divers Aanya Perera, Senuri Wettasinghe, Reshini Gunawardena, Abhishek Meegalle, and Sachin Nilupul, officiated the two-day event under the guidance of chief referee Chanaka Wickremsinghe.
