Grand win for St. Bridget’s as Royal reigns supreme

Royal College and St. Bridget’s Convent emerged victorious at the third Sub-Junior (Under-15) National Diving Championships, organized by the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union (SLSU) and held over the weekend at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Pool Complex.

Royal College secured the boys’ title with 27 points, surpassing rivals S. Thomas’ College, who finished second with 17 points. Meanwhile, St. Bridget’s Convent ended Bishop’s College’s longstanding dominance in the girls’ division by capturing the title with 39 points. Buddhist Ladies’ College also made an impressive breakthrough, scoring 22 points and placing ahead of Bishop’s, who managed only five points.

In the individual awards, Royal College’s Ruel Wickramaratne was named Sub-Junior Champion for the boys, while Manudi Gunaratne from St. Bridget’s Convent took the Best Diver award in the girls’ category.

In the boys’ 1m Springboard, Ruel Wickramaratne took gold with 231.75 points, followed by S. Thomas’ Rakitha Godevithanage, who scored 218.6 for silver, and teammate Giyanka Wickramasinghe, who earned bronze with 215.1 points.

In the girls’ 1m Springboard, Ameesha Rankothgedara of Buddhist Ladies’ College claimed gold with 159.6 points, edging out Best Diver Manudi Gunaratne, who took silver with 155.25. Dilshi Fernando of St. Bridget’s Convent secured bronze with 145.65 points. In the boys’ 3m Springboard, Wickramaratne clinched another gold with 248.2 points, narrowly defeating teammate Raphail Jayaweera, who earned silver with 242.9, while S. Thomas’ Rakitha Godevithanage took bronze at 211.6.

For the girls, Manudi Gunaratne excelled in the 3m Springboard, winning gold with 202.15 points, followed by teammate Dilshi Fernando with silver (170.55 points) and Buddhist Ladies’ College’s Ameesha Rankothgedara with bronze (168.6 points).

In the Platform event, Wickramaratne achieved his third gold with an impressive 239.7 points, overcoming his schoolmate Sushen Wijesinghe, who won silver with 199.2 points, and Godevithanage, who claimed bronze with 191.2. In the girls’ Platform, Gunaratne won gold with 171.7 points, while Rankothgedara and Githmini Liyanage of Bishop’s College took silver and bronze with 135.75 and 128.7 points, respectively. Both teams, coached by Chanaka Wickramasinghe, have displayed impressive growth, with St. Bridget’s Convent breaking Bishop’s College’s previous dominance and claiming the title for the first time in recent history.

Source:Daily news