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Double Olympian Mathew Abeysinghe and Budapest-based Lankan Olympian Ganga Senevirathne will represent Sri Lanka at the World Aquatic Short Course Swimming Championships, starting today and running until December 15 in Budapest, Hungary.
Abeysinghe, 28, will compete in the Men’s 50m and 100m Freestyle events, while 21-year-old Senevirathne will swim in the Women’s 50m and 100m Backstroke. Both athletes are members of Killer Whale Aquatics, with it’s Head Coach and national coach Manoj Abeysinghe leading the Sri Lankan team.
Senevirathne is also one of 13 athletes from the Stipendium Hungaricum Sport Scholarship Programme participating in the championship. She has been training under the World Aquatic Scholarship Programme in Budapest.
Initially, Sri Lanka planned to send four swimmers—two men and two women—but last-minute changes reduced the squad. Australian-based Akalanka Peiris withdrew, and another KWA member, Hiruki de Silva faced visa delays, leaving Abeysinghe and Senevirathne as the nation’s sole representatives in the six-day global competition.
SAJEEWA JAYAKODY
