Heshan steals the limelight at National Age Group C’ships

By Leslie FERNANDO

SWIMMING: Heshan Unamboowe of Trinity College was the ‘star’ swimmer at the three day National Age Group Swimming and Diving Championship conducted by the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union held at the Sugathadasa Stadium Pool yesterday.

Heshan, an automatic choice to represent Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Pune, India in November set the Sugathadasa Stadium ablaze when he set a record winning all his seven events establishing five national records and two age group records. Indeed a worthy and creditable achievement by this promising Sri Lanka swimming captain.

He accounted for new records in the Boys Under-19 50 metre back stroke, 100 metres free style, 200 metre individual medley, 100 metres butterfly stroke, 50 metres butterfly stroke on Thursday and Friday.

Yesterday he won both events 100 metres back stroke 1:04:21 sec and 50 metres free style 25:74 secs.

Heshan won the age group title for the ninth consecutive time since year 2000 participating in the under-10 age category.

Mayumi Raheem of Rainbow Aquatic Club was best among the girls swimmers winning five events in the girls under-19 and establishing three new records in the 50 metres breast stroke 400 metres individual medley, 50 metres free style. Yesterday she had wins in the 100 metres breast stroke 1:22:66 sec and 50 metres free style 29:22:secs.

Michiko Raheem of Otter AC sister of Mayumi also came up with a good performance in the girls under-14 setting three records in the 50 metres backstroke, 100 metres back-stroke and 200 metres free style 2:22:99 secs. The swimmer from Kandy Miniruwani Samarakoon of Gateway International School swimming in her pet event Girls under-19 200 metres butterfly stroke ‘clocked’ 2:40:34 secs to erase off a 18-year-old record of R. M. Dhammika of Dolphin AC, Ambalangoda whose record was 2:41:34 secs in the year 1990.

Dasun Perera of Royal College who established a record in the 400 metres free-style boys under-19 achieved a good double winning the 200 metres free style 2:05:92 secs.

Chamari Kudabalage of Hillwood College Kandy was responsible for the sixth record of yesterday. She won the Girls Under-19-200 metres free-style returning a time of 2:05:92 secs.

Mineka Karunaratne of AIS in the girls under 19 - 50 metres breaststroke and Diluka Thibbotumunuwa of Ananda College Boys under-19 200 metres breaststroke set new meet records.

Royal and Bishop’s diving champions

Royal College and Bishop’s College retained the overall boys and girls titles respectively in the Age Group Diving championships.

In the boys Royal collected 168 points to become champions while St. Joseph’s College finished runner-up with 64 points.

Bishop’s College with 82 points took the top spot in the girls diving while Good Shepherd Convent, Kotahena second with 39 points and Lyceum International School Nugegoda third with 25 points.

Overall points were from one metre, three metre spring board diving and platform diving.

Hiraz Hisbullah of Royal and Shalitha Perera of St. Joseph’s College (joint champs) and Maneka Weerasinghe of Bishop’s College were adjudged Best Boys’ and Girls divers respectively.