Sri Lanka’s champion swimmer and South Asian Games gold medallist Matthew Abeysinghe will have one last chance to get a direct qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics as he is set to participate in Division I Age Group Long Course Swimming Championship that will be held in Hong Kong serving as a Olympic qualification event.
Matthew, who is currently on his way for the qualifier expects to be the first ever Sri Lankan swimmer to receive a direct qualification for the Olympics. In the past, where swimmers got their entry to the Olympics, it has always been via wild card attempts.
The recently concluded South Asian Games that was held in India saw the eighteen year old product of Asian International School steal the spotlight in the swimming events competing head to head against the local heavyweights India and winning a total of 10 medals that included 7 golds, two silvers a single bronze medal. He went on to break a 25 year old Sri Lankan record set by Julian Bolling in 1991, taking honours for the most number of medals won by an athlete at a single South Asian Games championship .
At the conclusion of the 2015 Kazan Swimming Championships, Abeysinghe had with him a Olympic ‘C’ qualification which is a initial qualification but the Hong Kong qualifier is set to provide Abeysinghe the edge to earn a direct qualification for the Rio Olympics that is set to begin in August this year.
Along with Matthew the other swimmers that are in contention for a possible qualification for Rio are Kimiko Raheem and Cherantha De Silva. Both swimmers are currently under a swimming scholarship by FINA in Thiyanapura in Thailand.
