Miniruwani aims to win a Gold at SA Games

Sampath Bandara

Miniruwani Samarakoon of Gateway College, Kandy is one of the most outstanding and promising women’s swimmers in the island.

She emerged as the National Swimming Champion (Open) for the second consecutive year in 2008. At the National Aquatic Championships she bagged four Gold Medals and she equalled the 50m Butterfly Stroke National Record held by Mayumi Raheem.

Miniruwani was adjudged Most Promising sportswoman of the year at the 16th annual Milo Schools Colours Awards Ceremony held at the BMICH, Colombo recently.

“I started swimming at the age of four (1993) and I took part in the first meet in the year 1998. I was able to clinch the under 10 championship in the following year...” she said.

Miniruwani represented Sri Lanka at the South Asian Games in 2004, 2006 and 2007 and she bagged total of four silver medals and nine bronze medals and she obtained the highest number of points (23) for the Sri Lanka Women’s tam at the South Asian Swimming Championships.

At national level she became the best women’s Swimmer for the second successive year and was able to win eight gold medals and one silver medal while setting up one national long courses record and one national short course record.

Miniruwani had the honour of captaining the Sri Lanka Swimming team which took part at the 2nd Asian Schools Swimming Championships held in Malaysia last year.

Miniruwani’s other remarkable feat was that she became the only women’s swimmer to represent Sri Lanka at the World Swimming Championships and established a New Short Course National Record.

At the National Sports Festival held in Beliatta last year she made a clean sweep by winning the 50 m butterfly stroke, 100m butterfly stroke and the 200m individual medley. Presently she holds four open National Swimming Records - 50 metres butterfly long course, 100 metres butterfly short course, 100 metres butterfly - long course and 200 metres butterfly, short course a remarkable achievement indeed.

She also holds 50 National Age Group records. She has won about 50 gold medals at the National Aquatic Championships and the National Sports festivals Since 2005 and emerged age group champion at more than 25 Swimming Championships.

She also emerged the National short course champion in 2007 and the national swimming champion last year. She was awarded a special trophy at the Sri Lanka Schools Colours Award Ceremony in 2007 for high achievements at a very young age when she was 15 years old.

She was awarded the “Gateway Dove” (The highest award for sports at Gateway College) for four consecutive years. Miniruwani is also a bright student she got eleven As in the GCE O/L examination and also the youngest graduate of the British Computer Society.

“I have written a book of poems named world through my eyes. My latest work about “Lady Olave Baden Powell” has been sent to the publishers”.

“I like ballroom dancing as well as folk dancing. I am a member of the school dancing team and has won several awards and medals in all island competitions” she said.

She performed Bharatha Natyam ‘Arangethram’ at the age of only seven years probably one of the youngest to do so. She is also a prominent Girl Guide with 32 proficiency badges.

What is your next target I asked from Miniruwani.

‘My next target is to win a Gold Medal in South Asian Games. I was able to bag fours silver and nine bronze medals in the South Asian Games but was unable to win a gold yet’.