HFC’s Jessie shines with U-20 Pentathlon Swimming title
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Jessie Seneviratne
National pool swimmer Jessie Seneviratne of Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya dived into success and surfaced as the Girls Under-20 Pentathlon Champion at the annual Pentathlon Swimming Championship, which concluded last weekend at the Air Force Swimming Pool Complex in Ratmalana.
The 18-year-old swimmer, who has been making an impact in the national pool for the past three years, won four out of five events and finished with the best combined timing of 7 minutes and 35.93 seconds — more than 20 seconds ahead of her closest rival.
She began her winning streak with a strong swim in the 100m Butterfly, clocking 1:08.93. She then stayed in the fast lane in the 100m Backstroke with personal best timing of 1:14.93, and in the 100m Freestyle she showed great speed with 1:02.46. In the final event, the 200m Individual Medley, Jessie powered ahead with 2:42.74 to seal the title.
The only event she didn’t win was the 100m Breaststroke, where she clocked personal best timing of 1:27.77 and finished behind Neoma. Still, with four golds and a silver, Jessie had more than enough in the tank to clinch the overall crown.
Her strong performance at this meet has already earned her two golden opportunities to swim for Sri Lanka on the international pool. Jessie qualified to take part in the Junior World Championships in Romania, which will be held from August 19 to 24. She has also qualified for the Asian Aquatic Championship in India later this year.