St Peter’s College swimmer AIM Haathim drew attention on the fourth day of the Long Course National Swimming Championship at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Pool yesterday, breaking a decade-old record held by current Paris Olympic swimmer Kyle Abeysinghe.
Haathim, who has already made headlines in the ongoing nationals, set a new Junior National Record in the Boys Under-15 100m Breaststroke with a time of 1:12.33. This impressive performance surpassed the previous record of 1:12.69, set by Abeysinghe in 2014.
This is Haathim’s third Junior National Record of the championships. Earlier, he broke the Under-15 Boys 400m Individual Medley and 200m Freestyle records, making him the most prolific junior national record breaker at this event.
Ramudi Samarakoon of Killer Whale Aquatics also had a standout day. Returning from Budapest, Samarakoon claimed the gold medal in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke, clocking 1:13.87. This time she broke her own Senior National Record of 1:14.20 set last year.
In another highlight, Rushalee Dissanayake from Musaeus College set a new Junior National Record in the Girls Under-15 1500m Freestyle. She finished with a time of 19:37.50, surpassing her previous record of 20:02.35 from last month’s National Age Group Swimming Championship.
By the end of the fourth day, the championship has seen seven junior national records and one senior national record broken. The five-day event will conclude today, with heats starting at 8:30 am and finals scheduled for 2:30 pm at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Pool.
