VICTORIA, Australia: (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka’s rising star in open water swimming, 17-year-old Tharusha Perera, secured a silver medal in the 5km race at the South Australian State Open Water Championship held in Victoria, Australia.
Competing in the Boys Aged 17-18 category, Perera clocked a time of 1 hour, 1 minute, and 37.8 seconds to claim second place, a remarkable achievement for the young swimmer from Glenwaverley Secondary College.
Earlier this year, Perera competed in the World Open Water Championship in Italy, where he excelled in the 1.5km sprint, and 7.5km races. In these events, he recorded some of the best times for a Sri Lankan junior swimmer, Notably, in the 1.5km race, Perera achieved an outstanding 18:14.30, the best time ever by a Sri Lankan swimmer in that event.
In the 7.5km race, Perera clocked a time of 1:34:00.30, marking the best performance by a Sri Lankan in that competition as well.
Looking ahead, Perera is ready to compete in the 5km race at the New South Wales Open Water Championship on December 15, followed by the Victorian Open Water Championship on December 21. He will also participate in the 5km and 10km races at the Australian Open Water National Championship in late January 2025.
A remarkable journey, Tharusha and his family migrated to Australia when he was just two and a half years old. Despite being based in Australia, Perera will continue to represent Sri Lanka in all his upcoming competitions, making his achievements even more significant for the Sri Lankan swimming community.
