Synchronised swimmers Elisha and Dehara vie for honours at Japan Open

It is a sport which requires the endurance of distance swimming, the strength of water polo, the artistic grace of dance, and the figures, leaps and spins of figure skating performed within an unstable medium. Synchronised Swimming has been fast emerging as a premier water sport in Sri Lanka with some creditable performances being notched up by the national team over the past few years.

The next port of call for the Sri Lankan team will be at the Japan Open Synchronized Swimming Championship coming up in May this year. The Japan Open is one of the most competitive tournaments in Synchronised Swimming attracting some of the world's best performers and is rated second only to the Olympics and World Championships. Sri Lanka will be represented at this event by the young duo of Elisha Gomes and Dehara Katepiarachchi who are all geared up to add to the recent laurels in their patented 'duet' event. Visakhian Elisha and Dehara from Musaeus have been partnering each other for three years now having represented Sri Lanka several times in the past. These immensely talented young ladies boast of an excellent track record notwithstanding their tender ages having both turned 16 only this year. The championship will be held from May 3 to 6 in Tokyo, Japan.

Both Elisha and Dehara have been members of the Sri Lankan Synchronised Swimming team since 2005, when they first represented Sri Lanka at the Hong Kong Open at the age of 13. This was followed by a scintillating performance at the Japan Open in 2006 in which the team secured a bronze, making history as the winners of Sri Lanka's first international medal in Synchronised Swimming. Their success at the Japan Open prompted their entry into the 15th Asian Games in Doha, marking the first time a Sri Lankan Synchronized Swimming team took part in a mega event. The team performed creditably despite their relative inexperience compared to their counterparts from China, Japan, Kazakhastan and other aquatic superpowers, emerging 7th in Asia earning them an 'Asian Games Diploma' for their performance. Incidentally young Elisha Gomes was the youngest athlete at this event at the age of 13, marking another unique milestone in Sri Lanka's Asian Games history.

Elisha and Dehara built on this early success in their careers going on to represent Sri Lanka at several international meets including the Japan Open in 2007, followed by the Thai & Malaysian Open Events in 2008.

Having been placed 5th at the Malaysian Open, the duo went on to participate at the Olympic Qualifiers in Beijing, China at the 'Good Luck Beijing' Synchronised Swimming Championships where they were placed 32nd in the world.

Although unable to secure an Olympic berth in Beijing, the two young ladies proved their mettle showing immense potential as the youngest competitors within the Olympic qualifiers.

Their youthful charm and exuberance was well received by audiences around the world, often resulting in standing ovations for the two youngsters as they carried the Sri Lankan flag, placing it firmly on the map of Synchronised Swimming in the world.

Despite being young in years, both Elisha and Dehara share the common passion to excel, their serenity & grace in the water being matched by an equally fiery sense of competitiveness in mindset. With the grace & guile of these two young hopefuls, Sri Lanka may have just found another opening to add to its mantelpiece of aquatics silverware in the months to come.

With Elisha and Dehara coming together once again to take on the best the world has to offer at the upcoming Japan Open they are embarking on a journey in which they will have nothing short of "London 2012" in their sights. (L.F.)