Little torpedo - Sandev

Yasaratne GAMAGE

It is so exciting when someone change his whole life at the age of seven. Sandev Senaratne did so when he was a grade three student at St. Sebestian’s College, Moratuwa by taking up to swimming.

Actually it was not this kid alone who decided his long to go sporting path, the swimming instructor then at St. Sebestian, Camaron Kuma saw his inborn talent when Sandev splashed water in the pool in a sports selection programme at St. Sebastian’s Swimming Academy, some years back.

The root behind the talent, Sandev’s parents had no hesitation in accepting Kuma’s invitation to take up swimming for their son.

Sandev did not take so long to prove that it was a worthy decision when he came first in pentathlon championships at St. Benedict’s swimming meet in 2009.

That was the beginning of a chain of medals for Sandev where he went on to win many swimming events since then.

His father, Janaka Kumara Senaratne, a businessman by profession, takes his little boy for practices three times a week, in the morning and evening. Sandev has the luck of having a teacher mother at home, and her support and guidance must have been an anchor for all his achievements. This year has been a record breaking season for little Sandev as he already has set up two new meet records in butterfly stroke 50 meters in the 38th Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Championships and in the 37th National Age Group Aquatic Championships.

Sandev had the rare opportunity of becoming an Anandian because of his excellent performances where he met the national coach Nishantha Kumarapperuma who is also the swimming coach at Ananda College and that combination has gained much for Sandev and his college. This little torpedo was to participate in India- Sri Lanka Dual Swimming Meet in Bangalore but had to give priority for grade five scholarship examination a month ago.

Sandev has to keep going and he has ample time to plan and organize to bring international medal to his motherland some day.