By Tehara Gurusinghe
On the 5th of February 2022, Asian International School proudly hosted the 26th Inter International school swimming championships which was held at Sugathadasa swimming pool complex where 25 International schools participated with over 400 swimmers. Due to the global pandemic, the swimmers were not able to participate in the IISSC for two long years, therefore The IISSC has been a much awaited event to all International schools since the last championship held in 2019.
Dinara Jasinghe who swam for 5 events in the Under 16 category was thrown into the chaos which she said was unimaginably fun despite the tiring practises and a few panics and nervous scares. “I was quite nervous and overwhelmed at the number of participants that were present from all International schools.” She said, “I had a combined feeling of excitement and nervousness as it was my first big swimming event.”
Dinara also shed light on the unforgettable memories and experiences that she gained which she defined in one word as, ‘exhilarating.’ “It was so much fun! I'm new to AIS therefore it gave me a chance to make some new friends and connect with the AIS swimming team. Putting aside the joy of just being able to participate in a swimming competition, the exultation of cheering, being one with the team and feeling a strong sense of belonging is a sense of fun I will never forget.”
Despite all the fun Yusuf Razmi took a moment to emphasise on his personal lows of that day. “The most unfortunate part of the day was a few of my personal lows, like when my goggles came off and strangled me at the start of my 100m breaststroke event or when I got a bad cramp in the middle of the 200M.” Yet, Yusuf also acknowledged that his passion and dedication foreshadowed his pain and he was determined to swim despite the agony.
From exhausting practices to cracking jokes, many swimmers said that they were elated to experience and take part in such a thrilling yet nerve-racking competition. Even though AIS may have not come in first place, it was truly an unforgettable moment for many of the swimmers.
At the end of the competition, it had all felt worth it...giving it their all and not giving up along the way, getting to know each other and making the best memories to cherish for a lifetime.
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