Sri Lanka back in Diving spotlight after 25 years

After a quarter-century of anticipation, two Sri Lankan divers have qualified to compete at the World Aquatic Junior Diving Championship, scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from November 24 to December 1.

Mikhail Jayaweera of Royal College and Vinudi Kankanamge of Visakha Vidyalaya, along with their coach, Chanaka Wickramasinghe, departed for Brazil yesterday. This marks Sri Lanka’s return to the championship after Wickramasinghe himself represented the nation in 1999 in the Czech Republic.

Notably, Wickramasinghe, who is now the coach of both Jayaweera and Kankanamge, played a pivotal role in nurturing their diving talents from a young age. He will also represent Sri Lanka as the national coach in this world class tournament, which features over 250 elite divers from more than 40 countries.

Jayaweera secured his spot at the championship with a remarkable 311-point performance in the Platform event during the National Age Group Diving Championship held in June. His score far exceeded the qualifying standard of 220.55 points, showcasing his potential to compete among the world’s best.

Meanwhile, Kankanamge made history as the first Sri Lankan female diver to qualify for this event. Her score of 220.25 points at the same trials surpassed the required 180-point benchmark.

The eight-day competition is the pinnacle event for the world’s top junior divers aged 14 to 18.

 Source:Daily News