Haathim breaks Kyle’s decade-old record
Asif Iqbal Muhammed Haathim of St. Peter’s College broke a decade-old Junior National record previously held by Sri Lanka’s current Paris Olympic swimmer, Kyle Abeysinghe at the fourth day of the Long Course National Swimming Championship at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Complex yesterday. Haathim, already a standout with three gold medals, achieved another milestone in the Boys Under-15 100m Breaststroke event.
Haathim completed the 100m Breaststroke in 1:12.33, surpassing Kyle Abeysinghe’s previous record of 1:12.69 set in 2014. This achievement marked Haathim’s third Junior National Record at the ongoing championship, adding to his impressive tally.
Earlier in the competition, Haathim also broke records in the Under-15 Boys 400m Individual Medley and the 200m Freestyle, making him the most prolific record-breaker of this year’s Junior Nationals so far.
In the Women’s 100m Breaststroke, Ramudi Samarakoon of Killer Whale Aquatics, set a new Senior National Record. Returning from Budapest University, Samarakoon clocked 1:13.87 to clinch the gold medal, surpassing her own previous record of 1:14.20 set last year.
Rushalee Dissanayake of Musaeus College, a rising star in freestyle swimming, also made waves by setting a new Junior National Record in the Girls Under-15 1500m Freestyle. Dissanayake completed the race in 19:37.50, breaking her previous record of 20:02.35 set at the National Age Group Swimming Championship last month.
By the end of the fourth day, the championship had seen a total of seven junior national records and one senior national record established. The five-day event is set to conclude today, starting with the heats at 8:30am, followed by the finals scheduled for 2:30pm.