Sri Lanka’s swimming team for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games is ready to make its mark as the pool events begin at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. Representing the country are two talented young athletes, M.F. Muhammad and Minagi Rupesinghe.
While Rupesinghe’s place on the team was secured early on, Muhammad was called up as a late replacement after Olympic swimmer Kyle Abeysinghe had to withdraw due to a sudden illness. This two-athlete squad brings together a strong mix of national records and international racing experience as they prepare to challenge top competitors from around the world in Glasgow from July 24 to 29, 2026.
Eighteen-year-old M.F. Muhammad enters the Games at a high point in his career. Despite his young age, he has grown into Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked male swimmer based on FINA points, while training under the elite Killer Whale Aquatics programme. Muhammad made history by becoming the first-ever swimmer from Zahira College Colombo to qualify for the Commonwealth Games.
He is also coming off a major milestone at the Asian Age Group Aquatics Championships in Bangkok, where he won a continental silver medal in the 100m Butterfly with a time of 54.94 seconds. He also holds multiple national records in Sri Lanka in both long-course and short-course breaststroke events.
As he steps in for Abeysinghe, Muhammad faces a demanding multi-event schedule covering four individual races. He will open his campaign with the 50m Butterfly heats on Friday, July 24, 2026. The following day, Saturday, July 25, 2026, he will return to the blocks for the fast-paced 50m Freestyle. His busy schedule continues on Sunday, July 26, 2026, with the 100m Freestyle heats, before he finally competes in his signature event, the 100m Butterfly, on Monday, July 27, 2026.
On the women’s side, Minagi Rupesinghe brings valuable international and collegiate experience to Team Sri Lanka. She is currently training in the United Kingdom, where she competes for Oxford Brookes University and Wycombe Swimming. Rupesinghe has performed strongly on the British university circuit, reaching multiple finals at the BUCS National Championships and being named a finalist for Sportsperson of the Year at her college.
She is a highly versatile athlete who has previously represented Sri Lanka in both pool swimming and open-water races at the World Aquatics Championships. In Glasgow, she will face a busy three-day schedule, swimming the 200m Backstroke on Friday, July 24, 2026, the 100m Backstroke on Saturday, July 25, 2026, and the 100m Freestyle on Sunday, July 26, 2026.
As the racing schedule begins, both athletes will be focused on swimming at their very best and showing that Sri Lanka can compete with the top talent in international swimming. Muhammad and Rupesinghe are not only chasing personal bests but also aiming to put Sri Lankan aquatics firmly on the global map.
