Six senior and three junior national records were set including one Sri Lanka record at the National and Junior Aquatic championship 2013 that splashed off yesterday at the Sugathadasa swimming complex yesterday.
Matthew Abeysinghe of Killer Whale Aquatic Club set a new Sri Lanka record (56.13 seconds) in the 100m Butterfly event erasing the previous record set by Conrad Fancis in 2004.
Machiko Raheem also from Killer Whale established a new national record in the women’s 100m Butterfly (1:06.47 seconds) while her sister Kimiko set a new national record in the women’s 200m backstroke (2:25.73 seconds) erasing her own record set last year.
Kimiko’s record also bettered the South Asian Games record in the same event which stood at 2 minutes 31.49 seconds.
Kanitha Munasinghe, best swimmer of the previous edition from Royal College set a new national record in the men’s 50m Breaststroke. The other two national records came from the men’s and women’s 400m Medley relay events which was set by the Navy men’s team of Uvindu Perera, A.C.Malimbada, K.B.Manawadu and P.V.Dias and the Killer Whale women’s team of Kimiko Raheem, Machiko Raheem, Reshika Udugampola and Hasanthi Nugawela.
Two out of three junior national records were set by Kyle Abeysinghe the youngest of the Abeysinghe brothers.
Kyle set the boys under-14 400m freestyle record (4:40.07) and the 200m individual medley record (2:25.36) erasing his brother Dillon Abeysinghe’s record.
St. Peter’s College swimmer Dimuth Peris set the other junior record in the 100m Butterfly with a timing of 1:03.69.
