Ali:

Competition brings out his best

Angu Rajendran

He looks quiet and shy and walks like a leopard stalking its prey but he is made of iron and steel. Fifteen year old is never unfaced by competition – very unusual in one so young. The student of Asian International School – Ali Isphahani – the up and coming swimmer, is very popular among his peers and teachers and is a humble child who does not get into a fight except in the pool while swimming a race.

He swims faster under pressure. He enjoys the fight. He loves competitive swimming as he says ‘only when there is competition can you swim faster.’ That is what brings out the best in him. His favourite event is the Individual medley as it is a test of all four strokes. He lives to swim. Pentathlon champion for the last five years is coached by the National coach Nishantha.

He has only to tell him - ‘Ali start your ten sets of 400m in fifteen seconds’ and Ali is off… in exactly fifteen seconds.

Most of the others in his squad dilly-dally and hope that the coach has not noticed the time passing. But clock-work Ali gives them away.

Ali never misses his Friday visits to the mosque in the mornings and afternoons as he has to keep the evenings for swimming.

Ali Isphahani was the most outstanding swimmer at the International Schools Swimming Championships held recently. At the inaugural “Vidudaya” Age Group All Island Swimming Championship organized by the Sri Jayawardenapura University at their very new swimming pool complex opened by President Rajapakse recently, Ali Isphahani swam his personal best in seven.

This fifty metre pool with ten lanes saw swimmers from all over the Island. Swimming in the Under 16 age group, Ali Isphahani came out of the pool as the winner of seven events – the 50m and 100m freestyle, the 50m and 100m breast stroke, the 50m and 100m dolphin and the 200m Individual Medley.Ali came out as age group champion for the Under 16 age group. This talented youngster continues to give of his best every time he swims and by winning seven events, he collected seventy points for his school and the runner up trophy for the senior boys with his amazing achievements.