COLOMBO: (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU) has picked two swimmers, Kyle Abeysinghe and Ganga Senevirathne, to represent the country in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, announced by SLASU.
These swimmers train at Killer Whale Aquatics under Head Coach Manoj Abeysinghe. Kyle, aged 24, is the younger brother of Matthew Abeysinghe, who represented Sri Lanka in the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Although Matthew Abeysinghe is Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked swimmer according to FINA points, he can’t participate in the Paris Games because he has already competed in two Olympics, as per new rules by the World Aquatics.
“If no swimmers qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris through the ‘A’ or ‘B’ standard, the wildcard system will be used. The highest-scoring swimmer in the World Aquatic Championships Doha 2024 will represent Sri Lanka in the Paris Olympics,” SLASU stated.
Kyle Abeysinghe, returning from a four-year injury pause, impressed with a time of 50.99 seconds in the men’s 100m freestyle, earning 776 FINA points. Meanwhile, Ganga Senevirathne clocked 1:04.97 in the women’s 100m backstroke, scoring 686 FINA points, the highest for Sri Lanka.
“If Sri Lanka receives two wildcard slots, the top-scoring swimmers in each gender at the World Championships will represent the country in the 2024 Olympics,” SLASU added.
