Killer Whale Aquatics (KWA) dominated the Sri Lanka National Short Course Swimming Championship held at Hillwood College Swimming Pool in Kandy. Despite the challenging rainy weather, KWA’s swimming team, coached by Manoj Abeysinghe, achieved an outstanding feat by retaining both the men’s and women’s Senior National titles.
The KWA 11-member men’s team left a remarkable imprint by accumulating an impressive 424 points, surpassing the Maldives Swimming Association (107 points) and the Sri Lanka Army (103 points). This victory marked a historic moment as a foreign team participated for the first time in the Sri Lanka Nationals.
Under the guidance of Coach Manoj Abeysinghe, KWA’s star-studded seven-mmeber women’s team earned 308 points in the senior segment, outclassing Asian International School (197 points) and Lyceum International School Wattala (126 points), the champion team of the
Inter-International School Swimming Competition this year.
KWA’s dominance extended to individual events, with a clean sweep of all three medals in 10 events. Their Men’s and Women’s Teams secured victory in every relay, showcasing exceptional performance. In total, KWA swimmers, representing both the club and various schools, claimed an impressive haul of 39 gold, 29 silver, and 27 bronze medals in individual events, along with 10 Golds, 8 Silvers, and 1 Bronze in the relays.
23-year-old Kyle Abeysinghe, a star swimmer of KWA, earned the title of Best Swimmer in the senior national division, outperforming competitors from the Sri Lanka Army and his fellow KWA swimmer Anusara Abeygoonawardane.
In the women’s division, KWA’s Hiruki de Silva emerged as the Women’s Best Swimmer, surpassing her training partner Ganga Seneviratne of KWA.
In the junior segment, KWA’s Vandani Fernando and Ananda College’s Mihith Ekneligoda secured the titles of Best Girl Swimmer and Best Junior Boys Swimmer, respectively.
KWA’s excellence extended to the establishment of new records, including a Men’s 4x50m Medley Relay and outstanding performances in the Boy’s 800m and 1500m Freestyle events.
Sajeewa Jayakody