MF Muhammad, a talented swimmer from Zahira College, showed how good he is at the 48th National Age Group Swimming Championship. The championship, put together by the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool Complex, had Muhammad stand out on the second day. He surprised everyone with his amazing swim in the 200m Breaststroke, breaking the record by improving his time by five seconds yesterday.
The fifteen-year-old sensation, who had already clinched the gold medal and set a new meet record in the 50m Breaststroke on day one, continued his dominance in the pool. In the Under-17 Men’s 200m Breaststroke final, Muhammad astounded spectators by clocking an impressive time of 2:29.75. This not only secured him another gold but also shattered his own meet record of 2:34.87, set in the previous year’s championship.
Muhammad’s exceptional timing in the 200m Breaststroke surpassed the Under-20 Men’s record of 2:29.84, previously held by national champion Kiran Jasinghe since 2014. Jasinghe’s longstanding record was also exceeded by Muhammad’s extraordinary performance, highlighting the young swimmer’s remarkable talent and potential.
The second day of the championship also witnessed the establishment of four more new meet records. Syesha Anthony of Rainbow Aquatics attracted atttention by breaking an eight-year-old record in the Girls Under-17 100m Freestyle, clocking an impressive time of 1:02.00.
St. Peter’s College prodigy, AIM Haathim, displayed his expertise by setting a new meet record in the Boys Under-15 400m Individual Medley (IM), clocking 5:15.17. Haathim’s remarkable feat erased the previous record of 5:18.80, set by Sanitha Deenal in 2022.
Angali Agalawatte of Zeefit Sports Club demonstrated her dominance in the Women’s 20 and Over 400m IM, breaking her own meet record with a stellar performance, clocking 5:51.42 to claim the gold medal.
Additionally, Alaena Mouffer of La Petite Fluer School left her mark by breaking the six-year-old Girls Under-13 50m Backstroke meet record. Mouffer’s outstanding swim, clocking 35.88, surpassed the previous record of 36.10 set by Ridmi de Silva in 2018.
As the competition intensifies, the third day’s proceedings promise more exiting action at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool Complex today.
Sajeewa Jayakody