Kyle wins Lanka’s first swimming silver
Kyle Abeysinghe created history by becoming the first ever Sri Lankan to win a Commonwealth swimming medal when he clinched Silver at the Commonwealth Youth Games being held in Bahamas.
Abeysinghe finished second in the Boys 100m Freestyle finals event with a time of 50.93 to win the silver medal.
Akalanka Peiris going great guns so far in the preliminary rounds establishing three National records in the 50m Butterfly and 50m Backstroke events. In the 50m Back Stroke event Peiris with a time of 24.96 lowered the record held by Ghefari Dulapanadan’s in 2000 timing 25.23secs. In the 50m Backstroke the Sri Lankan youngster established a new national record with a time of 26.89secs beat the previous record set by Mathew Abeysinghe in 2000 timing 26.94secs. Further Peiris timing 26.78secs broke his own record thus finishing 5th in the finals.
Sri Lanka was represented by Kyle Abeysinghe, Akalanka Peiris, Vinoli Kaluarachchi and Dilrukshi Perera.
How Sri Lankan swimmers fared so far in the championship:
- 50m Butterfly – Girls (Prelim. round) Dilrukshi Perera (30.83secs)
- 50m Butterfly – Boys (Prelim. round) Akalanka Peiris (24.96secs) – New National Record
- 50m Butterfly – Boys (Finals) 4th Place Akalanka Peiris (24.99secs)
- 200m Freestyle – Girls (Prelim. round) Vinoli Kaluarachchi (2:18.84)
- 200m Freestyle – Boys (Prelim. round) Kyle Abeysinghe (1:54.99)
- 50m Backstroke – Girls (Prelim. round) Vinoli Kaluarachchi (31.24)
- 50m Backstroke – Boys (Prelim. round) Akalanka Peiris (26.89secs) – New National Record
- 50m Backstroke – Boys (Finals) 5th Place Akalanka Peiris (26.78secs) – Broke his own record established in the Prelim. round
- 100m Freestyle – Boys (Prelim. round) Kyle Abeysinghe (51.30secs)
- 100m Freestyle – Boys (Finals) Kyle Abeysinghe 2nd Place Kyle Abeysinghe (50.93secs) – First ever Commonwealth medal for Sri Lanka.