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Central Province Swimming Championship:
Trinity, Mahamaya excel
S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Correspondent
Over twenty-five meet records were drowned while Trinity College and
Mahamaya Girls’ College continued their dominance by winning the age
group championship for boys and girls for the eight successive year on
the trot at the Litro Gas Sri Lanka Insurance Central Province Swimming
Championship organised by the Central Province Aquatic Sports
Association and worked off at the Peradeniya University swimming pool.
Over 600 swimmers including 25 from the Republic of the Maldives
participated at this major swimming meet which was a roaring success for
the organisers and produced a very high standard of swimming resulted in
breaking of so many records.
In the overall age group championship for boys Trinity College
finished on top with 600 points and Kingswood College emerged runners-up
with 417 points a lead of 183 points but the lions did not have their
own as the wide gap of the past has been narrowed by the Randles Hill
School. In the past, the Trinitians had a comfortable lead of even 500
points over their nearest rival but this time it has been not there.
Things would have been much more difficult for the Trinitians if not
for the lion hearted performances of Shehan de Silva and Avishka Shiek
who contributed heavily by winning all five events and setting up new
marks. They were also age group champions.
Star performer for the Trinitians was 17 year old Shehan de Silva who
swimming in the over 16 age group won five events and broke four meet
records, which earlier belonged to Trinity's three swimming captains
Chethiya Wijeratne, Dilina Dissanayake and Heshan Unamboowe. The records
broken by him 100 metre free style 58.0 seconds, (held by Chethiya
Wijeratne 2007), 200 metres Individual medley 2.29 mts (held by Heshan
Unamboowe 2008), 50 metres Butterfly Stroke 28 secs. (held by Dilina
Dissanayake 2006), 100 metres Butterfly stroke 1.05 mts (held by Dilina
Dissanayake 2006) and 50 metres Free Style 26.57 secs. and narrowly
missed breaking a fifth record by the twinkle of the eye of 9 micro
seconds. This mega performance should make him a top runner for the
captaincy of the Lions swimming team next year.
Thirteen year old Avishka Shiek, a swimmer with Chinese origins put
up a very impressive display for Trinity College in the boys under 14
championship to win all five events while creating four new meet
records. The new marks set up by him were in the 50 metres Breast
Stroke, 100 metres Breast Stroke, 50 metres Back Stroke, 100 metres Back
Stroke and he also clinched a first place in the 200 metres Individual
Medley narrowly missing another meet record.
Mohamed Adnan from the Maldives studying at Colombo International
School (Kandy) who had excelled in water sport in his country by winning
the award for the Most Successful Emerging Swimmer.
He won all five events which included several meet records. His wins
were in the 50 metre Free Style, 50 metres Breast Stroke, 50 metres
Butterfly Stroke, 100 metres Breast Stroke and 100 metres Free Style
which shot his school into the third slot and helped him to be jointly
adjudged as the age group under 16 champion with Kingswood's Y.C.
Weerathungarachchi who too won five events.
Weerathungarachchi's wins were in 200 metre Free Style, 50 metres
Back Stroke, 200 metres Individual Medley, 100 metres Back Stroke and
100 metres Free Style.
Mahamaya Girls College led by national swimmer Sunethra Wijeratne put
up an amazing performance to total 993 points and they had whopping 657
point lead over the second placed Hillwood College who aggregated 336
points and in third place was Kandy Girls High School with 141 points.
Sunethra Wijeratne herself led from the front by winning five events
and breaking four meet records in the process. The meet records
established by her were 100 metres Butterfly Stroke 1.24.54 mts, 100
metres Back Stroke 1.22.86 mts, 50 metres Butterfly Stroke 35.73 secs.,
200 metres Individual Medley 2.29.56 mts and first in 50 metres Back
Stroke 37.45 secs.
Fourteen-year-old Vinoli Siriwardena of Mahamaya Girls College too
struck five golds and broke four meet records. She is one of the top
swimmers present having been one of the nominees for the Emerging Star
award by the Sri Lanka Schools. Her record-breaking feats at this meet
were 50 metre Back Stroke 33.88 secs, 100 metres Back Stroke 1.18.01
mts, 50 metre Free Style 30.61 secs. 50 metre Butterfly Stroke 33.13
secs which were all meet records. She also secured a first place in 100
metre Free Style 30.61 secs. Eleven-year old Devindhya Jayawardena is
another swimmer who is showing very good promise by winning four events
for Mahamaya Girls College and was adjudged the under 12 girls age group
champion.
This trio of Sunethra Wijeratna, Vinoli Siriwardena and Devindhya
Jayawardena helped Mahamaya Girls College to reap a rich haul of points.
Their performance at this meet further underlined the fact they are the
beat in the trade.
The Mahamaya girls not satisfied having won the Age Group
championship went further to win the Novices Championship for girls as
well with 210 points and this time closely followed by Hillwood Girls
College with 138 points and in third place was Pushpadana Girls College
with 60 points.
The novices championship for boys was won by Dharmaraja College with
204 points and Trinity College finished runner-up with 189 points and in
third place was Kingswood College with 144 points.
A matter which needs attention of the authorities concerned is the
fact that the schools owning swimming pools had excelled and walked away
with the top awards while other schools were not able to perform well.
This means it how important it is to have a public swimming pool where
children could practise under a trained swimming coach.
This was a well-organised meet in which over 112 events were worked
off on a clock like precision and bouquets should go to U.G. Sugath,
U.G. Pemlath, S. Uduwawela, Janaka de Silva, who were the men behind the
scenes.
Piyadasa Kudabalage who is a member of the Directorate of both Litro
Gas and Sri Lanka Insurance was the chief guest. Judge of the Supreme
Court of the Republic of Maldives Muthasin Adnan who came all the way
from the Maldives was the Guest of Honour.
Results
Age group individual champions:
??Over 16 boys: Shehan de Silva (Trinity College) – 50 metre Free
Style first place, 100 metres Butterfly Stroke first place, 50 metre
Butterfly stroke first place, 200 metres Individual Medley first place,
100 metre Free Style first place.
*Over 16 girls:
Sunethra Wijeratne (Mahamaya Girls’ College) – 100 metre Butterfly
Stroke first place, 100 metre Back Stroke first place, 50 metre Back
Stroke first place, 200 metre Individual Medley first place, 50 metre
Butterfly Stroke first place.
*Under 10 boys:
P.P.J. Jinasena (Dharmaraja College) – 50 metres Free Style first
place, 200 metre Individual Medley second place, 50 metres Free Style
first place, 50 metre Butterfly third place.
*Under 10 girls:
Thinara Wimaladharma (Hillwood College) – 50 metre Free Style first
place, 50 metres Back Stroke first place, 100 metres Free Style first
place, 50 metres Breast Stroke first place.
*Under 12 boys:
A. Dikdeniya (Trinity College) – 50 metres Butterfly Stroke first
place, 200 metres Individual Medley first place, 50 metres Back Stroke
second place, 100 metres Free Style second place.
*Under 12 girls:
Devindhya Jayawardena (Mahamaya Girls College) – 50 metres Butterfly
Stroke first place, 50 metres Back Stroke first place, 100 metres Free
Style first place, 50 metres Free Style first place.
*Under 14 boys:
Avishka Shiek (Trinity College) – 100 metres Back Stroke first place,
50 metres Back Stroke first place, 50 metres Breast Stroke first place,
200 metres Individual Medley first place, 100 metres Breast Stroke first
place.
*Under 14 girls:
K. Uththara Kulatunga (Girls High School) – 100 metres Butterfly
Stroke first place, 50 metres Butterfly Stroke first place, 50 metres
Breast Stroke second place, 200 metres Individual Medley third place,
100 metres Breast Stroke third place.
[Joint Champions]
*Under 16 boys:
Y.C. Weerathungarachchi (Kingswood College) – 200 metres Free Style
first place, 50 metres Back Stroke first place, 200 metres Individual
Medley first place, 100 metres Back Stroke first place, 100 metres Free
Style first place.
Mohamed Adnan (Colombo International School, Kandy Branch) – 50
metres Free Style first place, 50 metres Breast Stroke first place, 100
metres Breast Stroke first place, 100 metres Butterfly Stroke first
place, 50 metres Butterfly Stroke first place.
*Under 16 girls:
Vinoli Siriwardena (Mahamaya Girls College) – 100 metres Free Style
first place, 50 metres Back Stroke first place, 50 metres Free Style
first place, 100 metres Back Stroke first place, 50 metres Butterfly
Stroke first place.
[Novices Champions]
*Over 14 boys:
Malindu Wijesinghe (Gateway College)
*Over 14 girls: Kalani Amerasinghe
(Pushpadana Girls College)
*Under 10 boys: R.M.H.P. Karunaratne
(Dharmaraja College)
*Under 10 girls: Habeeba Anas
(Ecole International School)
*Under 12 boys: O.C. Hiripitiya (Trinity College)
*Under 12 girls: Manisha Sewmini Hewage
(Hillwood College)
*Under 14 boys: A.M.L.S.R. Adhikaram
(Gangasiri Aquatic Club)
*Under 14 girls: Sanjali Gamlath
(Mahamaya Girls College)
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