Four more records go tumbling down
Four more new records were established in the morning session of the 45th Sri Lanka Schools Swimming Championship held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium swimming pool yesterday.
This brings the tally of records tumbled to 28 at the end of the morning session on the fourth day. Two swimmers both in the boy’s category Damiru Wickramatunga of Lyceum International School Wattala and Vanuja Kannangara of St. Joseph’s had the honour of securing their second successive record breaking feats of the championship.
In fact all the four record feats came in the boy’s category with the first being by Qaid Farook of St. Peter’s who set a new record in the boys U-9 50m breaststroke event that of 42.82 to eclipse the existing record of 44.34 set by Pinsara Mahima of Sussex College in 2017.
This was followed by Damiru Wickramatunga establishing a new record of 40.00 on the boys U-11 50m breaststroke junior event which erased the previous record of 41.34 by M.A. Induwara of S. Thomas’ in 2008.
The third record in the morning session came from Chris Pavithra of Lyceum International School Nugegoda who erased the existing timing of 36.10 set by Bhanuka Jayatilleke of Royal Colombo in 2017 with a new timing of 34.00 while Vanuja Kannangara set a new record in the boys U-13 100m breaststroke event that of 1:08.16 erasing the record of 1:11.02 set by Alvin Arulmaran of Gateway College Colombo in 2016.
Meanwhile in the overall standings for the championship at the end of the morning session on day four saw the defending champions in the girls and boys categories Mahamaya Girl’s School Kandy and St. Joseph’s Colombo were maintaining their leads.
Mahamaya are in the lead with 420 points but second placed Visakha Vidyalaya has brought their deficit to 14 points by securing 406 points. They are followed by Ladies College (174), Lyceum International School Wattala (169) and Musaeus College (162).
St. Joseph’s are way ahead in the boys’ category with 489 points followed by Ananda (293), Royal (232), Trinity (192) and Dharmaraja (163). In the Combined Schools category Lyceum IS Wattala leads with 252 points followed by Lyceum IS Nugegoda (170.50), British School International Colombo (73), Gateway College Colombo (68), and Lyceum IS Panadura (53).
The championship conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Aquatic Sports Association and sponsored by Nestle Lanka PLC for the 25th successive year will come to an end today with Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam as the chief guest.