Teens who showed their colours!

The 10th South Asian Games ended on August 28, and Sri Lanka was placed third in the medals table. Among those who bagged medals for our motherland in various fields were some talented teenagers. Mayumi Raheem, the 15 - year - old swimmer, tops that list.

We mentioned in a previous Sports track page about her first gold medal win. But, when the Games ended, she had won many more medals. She also set a new Games record for the breast-stroke event.

She is the second most successful female swimmer from Sri Lanka, in the history of the South Asian Games, after Dipika Chanmugam.

The 17 - year - old Dulanjali Ranasinghe is another talented teen who showed her colours at the Games. She won a gold medal for high jump. She is a student of Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo.

The other teenager who shone at the Games is Andrew Abeysinghe, another swimmer. He also won gold medals for 100m and 200m breast-stroke events, for the country and set up a new SAG record for the event. Recently, he visited Lake House to thank all the journalists for the support he received, and we managed to ask him how he felt about his achievements and the secret behind his success.

"I represent Sri Lanka, as often as I can," said Andrew, who was born and bred in America. He is a Grade 10 student at Beavercreek High School, Ohio and is keen on his studies, as well as sports. "I always try to finish my homework early and then find time for my swimming practices," Andrew explained.

He said his parents, Manoj and Laura Abeysinghe are very supportive and always help him with his work. How he developed an interest in swimming is rather strange and interesting. "I was initially so afraid of water, but my father, who is a good swimmer, wanted me to swim and even attend swimming classes.

"That initial step has brought me a long way today and will take me even further in the future," he said hopefully. His first swimming event was at Hazelton YMCA Pennsylvania, USA, at the age of nine. He is hoping to compete in the Asian Games to be held in Doha-Qatar in December. "I want to show my colours there as well," he added.

His future plan is to be a paediatrician or a sports doctor, but he will continue swimming as long as he can. "Believe in your dreams and work hard to make them a reality," he advises children. "I enjoyed my stay in Sri Lanka very much.

"This is a very beautiful country," said Andrew who claims he loves Sri Lanka because it is his father's motherland.

Janani Amarasekara

The fastest man on two wheels

How do you like racing? Most of the boys do like racing a lot. Super Cross motor rally and Fox Hill motor rally are two of the famous motor rallies in Sri Lanka, and the number one racer on motorcycles is Gayan Sandaruwan.Today, let's check out an international racer on two wheels. He is Valentino Rossi.

His motorcycle racing is equivalent to Michael Schumacher's car racing. At 26 years of age he has been crowned World Champion six times. He was born in Italy in 1979; Valentino was the youngest rider ever to win the 125cc World Championship in 1997 and the 250cc World Championship in 1999.

He has since won the 500cc Championship twice in 2001 and 2002, and the MotoGP World Championship in 2003 and 2004. His father Graziano Rossi was also a racer; "I'm following in my father's foot steps", he had once said in an interview. In 2004, Valentino switched from Honda to Yamaha, giving the bike-maker its first championship win in 12 years. It's proof that Valentino is a fantastic rider, no matter what bike he rides.

He went on to win the Spanish Grand Prix and is currently leading the MotoGP championship. His mother had wanted him to be a football player, but he was a born racer. "I want to win all the time, but I know it's not always possible. As long as I know I have raced the best race I can, I feel okay", he says.

His first motorbike had been a miniature motorbike called a Mini-Moto. His fastest record in the motorbike is in the Yamaha YZR-M1 at 200mph. Rossi is the youngest motor racer who had won titles in three different classes and also the fourth youngest rider to win the 500cc title. He had won 44 Moto GP victories and seven champion wins. He also had won 38 Grand Prix races before the age of 23. "You need the support of your family and a passion for racing, just like I have", he says, as advice for the future racers.

Fact File:

* First Grand Prix: 1996

Malaysia 125cc

* First pole positions:

1996 Czech Republic 125cc

* First race fastest lap:

1996 France 125cc

* First podium:

1996 Austria 125cc

* First Grand Prix Victory:

1996 Czech Republic 125cc