Heshan the star with five records

by Leslie Fernando

Heshan Unamboowe of Trinity was the 'star' swimmer at the Age Group Swimming Championships establishing five new meet records concluded at the Sugathadasa Stadium swimming pool yesterday.

The 14-year-old swimming prodigy Unamboowe who is the youngest (men) swimmer in the South Asian Games swimming squad set records in the 200 metres free style boys under-16 'clocking 2.05.19 secs to erase of a 10 year old record held by former Josephian swimmers Sean Lee - 2.11.19 secs (Sri Lanka Record) in 1996. 100 metres back stroke with a time of 1.05.36 secs, 200 metres individual medley - 2.24.06 secs. Both these records were held by Andrew Abeysinghe of Rainbow Aquatic Club 1.05.71 secs and 2.24.39 secs.

The other record was in the 50 metres back stroke 30.29 secs. He beat the previous mark of Gayan Samarakoon of Nalanda College - 31.33 secs. Unamboowe also went on to win the 100 metres free style - 58.09 secs.

Another swimmer from Kandy, Miniruwani Samarakoon of Gateway International School, Kandy, the youngest (women) swimmer in the SA Games squad was responsible for the fifth record in the girls under-16 - 100 metres butterfly stroke with a time of 1.11.49 secs. Samarakoon did extremely well to erase off a 14 year old record held by former elite swimmer Upeksha Silva of CIS - 1.12.96 in 1992.

Mineka Karunaratne of Asian International School accounted for the other record in the girls under-16 - 50 metres breast stroke - 39.28 secs. Mihiri Kandannarachchi of Mahamaya College held the earlier record - 39.34 secs.