41st Kinross Open Six-Mile Sea Swim on March 26

SWIMMING: The 41st Annual Open Six Mile Swim, conducted by Kinross Swimming and Life Saving Club which was to be held in March 2005 had to be cancelled due to the heavy damages suffered by the Club as a result of the December 2004 tsunami. This annual meet will be held on Sunday March 26 commencing at 7.30 a.m.

The course of the swim will be, as usual from Wellawatta (opposite the Kinross) to Mount Lavinia and back. This long distance swimming competition which has been conducted by our Club for 40 years without a break is undoubtedly the longest open water swimming competition in Asia.

This meet is held every year after the annual two mile sea swim conducted by the national body for swimming and the other similar sea swimming meets conducted by the Clubs in the outstations.

This gruelling sports event is eagerly awaited by the long distance swimmers and among the past winners are several of those who were the long distance swimming champions at the time. Initially the swim was confined to only to males but several year age the meet was opened to females as well.

The competition is opened to swimmers, both male and female, who are above 16 years of age on the date of the swim and are registered with the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union.

They should have participated in the annual two mile sea swim of SLASU or a similar meet conducted by an affiliate of SLASU, during the past 3 years and have finished the course within 70 minutes. The time allowed to complete the race is 4 hours & 30 minutes.

In the 40th meet conducted in 2004 Pradeep Lakhiru of Panadura Aquatic Club won the men's race in a time of 2 hours 34 minutes and 31 seconds whilst the womens' race was won by Thakshila Daluwatte also of Panadura Aquatic Club who took 2 hours 53 minutes and 52 seconds to finish the race.

On the day of the swim Thakshila was 16 years and 19 days and was the youngest competitor in the race. In this meet Panadura Aquatic Club won both the Mens' Championship and Womens' Championship. A large number is expected to participate this year too, in both Mens' race and Womens'