Sri Lanka’s open swimming sensation, Dilanka Shehan, based in Florida, USA, has once again rewritten the record books, smashing his own national record in the 5km race at the FGC Open Water Championship 2024. Held at Tigertail Lake in Dania Beach, Florida, Shehan clocked an impressive time of one hour and 17 seconds, shaving off 25 seconds from his previous record.
Finishing fifth in the men’s 5km open swimming race, Shehan’s performance marks a significant improvement from his previous best of 1 hour, 42 seconds, set at the World Aquatic Championship in Doha in February, where he initially set the national record.
The top three spots in the race were claimed by Maximiliano Paccot, Mario Granizo, and Army Pal, with times of 58 minutes 56 seconds, 59 minutes 30 seconds, and 59 minutes 31 seconds respectively. Daniel Gonzalez, aged 18, finished fourth with a time of 59 minutes 35 seconds, while Shehan, aged 25, secured fifth place with his remarkable one-hour timing.
While Shehan debuted in the 10km race at the same event, he didn’t achieve the desired timing.
At the 2024 World Aquatic Championship in Doha, Shehan’s time of 1 hour, 42
minutes, and placed him as South Asia’s second-best performer, only behind India’s Manjunath Hiremagalur, who finished in 57 minutes 43 seconds. Shehan’s performance also ranked among the top 10 performances in Asia.
Sajeewa Jayakody