‘I want to be the most successful swimmer for Sri Lanka’
Matthew Abeysinghe does not yet consider himself as a swimming sensation, as many Sri Lankans call him - Pix courtesy Sameera Peiris
Regarded as the most successful swimmer Sri Lanka has produced in recent times, many would not believe that Matthew Abeysinghe still aspires for more. That is to become the most decorated swimmer Sri Lanka has ever produced.
Matthew, for now is bestowed with the title ‘Most Decorated Athlete’ in the history of the South Asian Games (SAG), with 18 medals under his belt. That includes 14 gold, three silver and a bronze medal.
But the humble and down-to-earth 23-year-old swimming star, has earned a reputation as the swimmer the whole of Sri Lanka is banking on, at any meet – be it national, regional or global. In the recently concluded SAG held in Nepal, Matthew bagged seven gold medals, only to equal the record he established in the SAG 2016.
Many expected Matthew to claim eight gold medals at the SAG 2019, but he had to be content with seven. But Matthew is not an individual who is taken aback by what he could not achieve, as he dreams of becoming ‘the most successful swimmer that he can be for Sri Lanka’.
“There is no hidden part for my success. I have always worked hard, sacrificed and stayed focussed, and I have been consistent longer than most Sri Lankan swimmers. I am 23 years old and I have been swimming for 19 of those years and competitively for 15 years. How many Sri Lankan swimmers have done that,” questioned the swimming sensation, who is undeterred as ever.
What Matthew longs for is a culture where Sri Lanka could be proud of in swimming. Born to sports loving parents Manoj and Laura, and brought up among brothers Andrew, Dillon and Kyle, Matthew is earmarked as the next Sri Lankan athlete who could single-handedly raise the national flag high at a global sporting event.
He does not take much pride in the seven gold medals each won at the SAG in 2016 and 2019, but feels overwhelmed to win those medals. However, Matthew’s achievement comes without much sweat and tears as he is already training consistently at the Ohio State University in the United States of America.
“SAG is our Olympics right now, where we can compete as a team. To be successful in that environment is a great feeling. I mainly swim freestyle events for my university. I had to train all four strokes in preparation for SAG as I was doing Butterfly and Individual Medley events as well. Other than that, I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary in preparation for SAG,” he stated.
Matthew was given the task of carrying the Sri Lanka flag as the overall captain at SAG, but he was not able to perform his duties other than winning medals, due to other reasons.
“I was supposed to carry the national flag at the opening ceremony as well as the closing ceremony. But I didn’t do that as we got late to reach Kathmandu due to the swimming pool not being ready and we left the day before the closing ceremony.”
His only worry from the concluded SAG was missing out on potential gold medals due to unavailability of well known swimmers. Sri Lanka lost the services of his brother Kyle, Kimiko Raheem and Cherantha de Silva due to injury or sickness.
“I believe if we had them, we would have emerged victorious over India at SAG. Even without them, we did well as we didn’t lose gold medals by big margins. This time we were competitive as the rest of our swimmers have improved quite a bit since 2016.”
The achievements of Sri Lankan swimmers at SAG, now shifts Matthews’ focus on winning medals at events bigger than at the regional level. He has proved that fact is not a dream anymore for the island nation, by becoming the only Sri Lankan swimmer to qualify for Olympics with a ‘B’ cut during the last Rio Games.
7-gold Matthew Abeysinghe
But the swimming star strongly believes that to reach that level, Sri Lanka must work with a gradual plan and shift the focus to high performance. To achieve this, he is of the view that Sri Lanka should have a policy where a structure is in place to identify potential medal winners and provide them with the necessary training to win medals at Asian level.
“It will not happen overnight, it needs to be well planned,” he explained.
“I was awarded a swimming scholarship at Ohio State University. For now I have all the facilities I need at the university. No Sri Lankan has achieved an Olympic ‘A’ standard or gotten to a semi-final in swimming at the Olympic Games. This is a step we must take before we think about an Olympic medal. I will be doing my best to achieve the Olympic ‘A’ standard for 2020 and try and make it past the initial stage of competition when I get there,” Matthew explained of his goal.
Matthew still finds his greatest inspiration and backing in swimming from within the household. His parents, Manoj and Laura have been his greatest towers of strength.
“My parents have always been behind me. My mother at home and my father at the pool.”
In addition, he spoke with gratitude to the Sports Ministry and the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka for the support granted through the years, while attributing his coaches and teammates at Killer Whale Aquatics in the beginning and coaches and team mates at Ohio State University.
“They have been very supportive throughout.”
Matthew knows where he is heading now, after what he was able to achieve for Sri Lanka at different levels. He has been Sri Lanka’s greatest pride and joy at SAG, Asian, Commonwealth and Olympic Games. He had claimed medals at regional events, making the country proud and even if he had to bow out prematurely at mega international events, he had done it with pride after either with a new national record, or a personal best timing. Presently his sights are set on upcoming events, including the Olympics 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.
“I am aware of the times I need to swim in order to succeed at Olympics 2020. I only use them during training. Once you are at the competition, you just stay focussed on the race not times. I don’t plan races and I train for a goal at a time. Once you get to these meets, you just race.”
It is evidently clear that with the strong backing he gets from his aquatic frenzy family and the training he undergoes in Ohio, Matthew will not stop appearing in the media as a star character very soon.
His set goals are, not only for himself, but for the country as a whole.
“I want to be the most successful swimmer that I can be for Sri Lanka and leave Sri Lankan swimming in a better place than I found it.”