Vidarshi - an up-and-coming swimmer, good at school work too

by Upananda JAYASUNDERA - Kandy Sports Special Corr.

SWIMMING: Hillwood College, Kandy has a champion swimmer in 9-year-old Vidarshi Arambekumbura. Though still very young, Vidarashi participated at the 21st Century Consultants Swimming Meet in Bangalore, India last month and secured 3rd place in butterfly and back stroke events.

Hillwood College is coming into the swimming with a bang and Vidarshi is expected to fare well in the future as well. She started her swimming career in 2006 at the All-Island Swimming Championships, she clinched first place in the 25 metres back stroke, 25 metres freestyle and 25 metres butterfly stroke events and she not only won, but also came upto the qualifying standard in all three events. Right now, Vidarshi is the school champion in backstroke.

In the year 2008 she was a member of the champion 4 x 200 metres freestyle and 200 metres medley relay teams at the Age Group Relay Championships in the meet conducted by the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union at the Sugathadasa Stadium Pool. In the same year, she secured second place in the 50 metres backstroke and 50 metres freestyle events at the Novices Meet.

Vidarshi is a junior school prefect and the junior house captain of Ireland Jones House. She is also a good student and got through her Scholarship Examination with 153 marks. She also did well and got through the Grade III Examination in spoken English at the Institute for Examination in English, Music and Speech. She also obtained a distinction in speech and drama of the London College of Music Examination.