Despite Sri Lanka producing Olympic prospective swimmers, Sri Lanka will not be fielding any swimmers nor any water polo team for the upcoming 10th Asian Aquatic Championship that is set to be held in Japan and will only be sending two divers.
The 10th Asian Aquatic Championship will start in exactly 5 days in Tokyo and is Asia’s primary aquatic championship held every four years with the active participation of all the members of the Asian Swimming Federation and has the presence of all the top swimmers from the member countries. Disappointingly Sri Lanka will not be sending any swimmers for the event citing that the swimmers have worn out their capabilities owing to the recently concluded South Asian Aquatic Championship (SAAC).
The reason put forward for the abstention has some truth to it in terms of a swimmer where they are recovering from the heavy workload they put into the South Asian Aquatic Championships that was concluded in Sri Lanka a fortnight ago. Had the national body planned out their calendars in par with the international events, the SAAC could have played as a proving grounds for the Lankan swimmers ahead of the Asian event where the swimmers could have been in fine touch to take off in this week to Tokyo.
The SAAC 2016 was held from the 18th to the 23rd October leaving less than three weeks for the swimmers to go back into training to prep themselves for the championship. Despite the SAAC being a premier flagship event that was hosted in Sri Lanka, had there been more thought put into it, the benefits of the event could have been carried forward for the betterment.
However, Sri Lankan divers Yashoda de Silva and Dulanjan Fernando will be flying to Tokyo to take part in the respective diving events. The 19-year-old Yashoda de Silva has been Sri Lanka’ best when it comes to the diving discipline.
Having won two bronze medals last year at the Asian Age Group Championships that was held in Thailand, Yashoda will be looking to try her luck to be in medal contention on the main stage.
Bridgetine Yashoda brought two medals for Sri Lanka in diving in the recently concluded South Asian Aquatic Championships, winning the 3m Spring Board Women’s event and the 1m Spring Board Women’s event.
The 19-year-old Royal College swimmer and diver Dulanjan Fernando will also look to carry the Sri Lankan hopes forward. Having won a silver and a bronze medal at the SAAC in Sugathadasa, Dulanjan also makes it to the top three divers in the country.
The 10th Asian Aquatic Championship will commence on the 14th of November with the diving events taking center stage on the 17th. The Sri Lankan diving duo will leave the island on the 15th.
