St. Joseph’s and Musaeus emerge overall champs at Schools Games Swimming
View(s):The Josephian swimmers, trained by Dr. Kaushal Manawadu, were in complete command of the boys’ competition. They collected 93 points to take the overall crown, leaving Ananda College at second place with 60 points and St. Peter’s College at third with 52 points. Their dominance came not just from team depth but also from individual brilliance.
St Joseph's College swimming team
Akash Prabashwara won three gold medals, including one in record-breaking style. Sasmitha Wattarantenna collected two golds, one silver, and also set a new meet record. Sakindu Pigera added two golds and a silver. Senitha Deenal contributed one gold and one bronze, while Akalanka Nisal also captured a gold medal, rounding off Josephians’ golden show.
St. Joseph’s also bagged the Under-14 Boys’ Championship, proving their strength from the junior level upwards. Ananda College, however, lifted the Under-20 Boys’ title, while
St. Peter’s shone in the Under-18 age group. S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia secured the Under-16 Boys’ Cchampionship, showing balance in the field and ensuring a wide spread of winners among top schools.
On the girls’ side, Musaeus College, led by Sandali Sumathipala, produced a complete team performance to win the overall crown with 57 points. They finished ahead of Ladies’ College, who ended second with 46 points, while Mahamaya Girls’ College and Hillwood College, both from Kandy, shared third place with 42 points each.
The Musaeus stars delivered key results across all age groups. In the Under-16 category, Rushalee Dissanayake was consistent, finishing second in the 50m and 100m Backstroke and 200m Freestyle, while Naduli Gamage took fourth in the 100m Breaststroke and later struck gold in relays. Senuki de Silva placed fifth in the 50m Backstroke and sixth in the 100m Backstroke.
Musaues College swimming team
In the Under-18s, Thenushi Kalawitigoda won gold in the 50m Butterfly and silver in the 200m Butterfly. In the Under-20 events, captain Sandali Sumathipala won gold in the 50m Backstroke and silver in the 100m Backstroke. Senara de Silva emerged as a strong all-rounder, taking bronze in the 50m and 100m Backstroke and silver in the 200m Backstroke, while Yenuki Rajapakse added bronze in the 200m IM.
Musaeus also excelled in the relays, where teamwork sealed their overall success. The Under-16 medley relay team of Senuki de Silva, Naduli Gamage, Rushalee Dissanayake, and Sandithi Ekanayake struck gold. The Under-20 medley relay quartet of Senara de Silva, Vinuki Perera, Sandali Sumathipala, and Yenuki Rajapakse won silver.
The Under-16 freestyle relay team of Naduli Gamage, Senuki de Silva, Sandithi Ekanayake, and Rushalee Dissanayake powered to gold with a new record, while the Under-20 Freestyle relay team of Senara de Silva, Vinuki Perera, Kalashi Ranabahu, and Yenuki Rajapakse also secured golds. These relay victories, especially the record-breaking Under-16 performance, underlined Musaeus’ balance between individual talent and collective strength.
Other schools also shared in the honours. Ladies’ College won the Under-20 Girls’ title, Hillwood College, Kandy secured the Under-18 Girls’ crown, Lyceum International School Gampaha took the Under-16 Girls’ Championship, and Lyceum International School, Wattala won the Under-14 Girls’ category.
The meet was marked by 17 new individual records, a clear sign of progress in school swimming. The brilliance of Akash Prabashwara and Sasmitha Wattarantenna for St. Joseph’s, combined with the relay strength of Musaeus, stood out as the defining moments of the competition. St. Joseph’s proved once again that their swimming dynasty remains unshaken, while Musaeus, inspired by captain Sandali Sumathipala and their young relay stars, showed that they are firmly back at the top in girls’ swimming.