History for Holy Family Convent
Holy Family Convent (HFC) Bambalapitiya not only made a special splash in the waters but also went onto script history registering their best performance so far of finishing fourth, collecting a count of 11 medals and producing a national swimming record holder for the first time in their history.
Their tally comprised six gold, two silver and three bronze medals. The Familians, coached by Shehaan Dias, hailed their performance, a transformation of only one bronze to 11 medals.
“HFC in the last eight years had won only a bronze, also under me. In the recent past they’ve picked up. So for them to come in a team championship fourth overall, to be able to highlight themselves with six gold medals along with two records, is quite a big achievement for me. Especially, at AllIsland level, is a huge achievement for a school that didn’t have swimming as a main sport in their calendar,” Dias said.
“This year, they have really picked up to the top five positions.
They were always beyond 15th overall. Now, they are fourth. History-wise, the first gold and the most number of golds, because they never had won this big at All-Island level,” disclosed Dias, the coach of HFC for over three years.
The Familians, in a fabulous show leaped to such an extent, they also established two national records, previously unheard of, making it all a history. Of the 11 medals, budding swimmer Jessie Senevirathne alone bagged three golds, two of them records too, and leading by example.
“To me, Jessie with her age, her performance has been in the pipeline for one and a half years. We’ve seen her potential. We’ve seen what she can achieve. We’ve already been told there are things we should look forward to. She’s still 15, there’s a long way to go,” Dias backed her.
Apart from Jessie, Eliza Fernando also won two golds and silver, competing in the U-20 category. Ashirwada Chandrarathne also won a bronze medal adding to the school’s rich medal tally this time. HFC’s U-16 relay team comprised of Jessie Senevirathne, Nethali Outschoorn, Anshula Fernando and Brioni Pereira won gold in the 4x50m relay and also bronze in the 4x50m medley relay—a rare achievement in schools history. It was a memorable meet for Dias, too, as two other schools he coaches, St. Peter’s College and Visakha Vidyalaya, were adjudged as overall champions.