Matthew Duncan Abeysinghe

OLY Oly or OLY may refer to: * Oly, informal name for Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington. It had a population of 55,605 at the 2020 census, making it the state of Washington's 23rd-most populous cit ...

(born 19 March 1996) is a competitive swimmer who has represented Sri Lanka at numerous international competitions, including the 2016 and 2020 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo respectively. Abeysinghe is widely regarded as the greatest Sri Lankan swimmer of all time, one of the greatest South Asian swimmers, and one of the most accomplished Sri Lankan athletes ever produced. He is the Sri Lankan national record holder in every single freestyle event, the 200m and 400m Individual Medley, and the 50m Butterfly. Abeysinghe also broke the record for most number of gold medals won at a single edition of the South Asian Games, a record owned by another Sri Lankan swimmer, Julian Bolling, winning seven golds at the 2016 Games in Guwahati, India and breaking the record in again in 2019 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Abeysinghe trained under his coach and father, Manoj Abeysinghe, with Killer Whale Aquatics, until his departure for higher education, where he resumed his training at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

in the US. His brothers, Andrew, Dillon and Kyle Abeysinghe, are all past and present members of the Sri Lankan National swimming team.

Career

Abeysinghe started swimming when he was three years old alongside his elder brother, Andrew. He has been quoted, saying he started swimming merely for water safety, not to compete. Over the course of his career, Abeysinghe has achieved numerous accolades, including; international medals, national records, national championships, and several national awards. Abeysinghe is considered the greatest athlete in South Asian Games history. He is also the most decorated; winning a total of 14 gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal. In Freestyle, his most proficient stroke, Abeysinghe holds all of the national records except for the 200m Freestyle, which belongs to his younger brother, Kyle. He also holds the South Asian record in the 100m and 200m Freestyle events. Abeysinghe's first time representing Sri Lanka was at

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

in Delhi, India. There he broke the national record in the 400m Freestyle, previously held by

Julian Bolling Deshabandu Julian Bolling (born 19 June 1966) is a Sri Lankan medal-winning swimmer who represented his country at numerous international competitions. He is fondly remembered as the poster boy of Sri Lankan swimming in the 1980s. He won 15 gold ...

and became the youngest male swimmer to be selected to the national team. Later on that year, he competed at the 2010 FINA World Swimming Championships in Dubai. In 2011, Abeysinghe represented Sri Lanka three times; at the

2011 World Aquatics Championships The 14th FINA World Aquatics Championships, FINA World Championships () were held on 16–31 July 2011 in Shanghai, Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming ...

, the 2011 Youth Commonwealth Games, in the Isle of Man, making it to the finals of the 400m Freestyle, and Asian Age Group Swimming Championships, where he won the silver medal in 100m Freestyle. In 2012 Abeysinghe competed at the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. The next year, Abeysinghe competed at the

2013 Asian Youth Games The 2013 Asian Youth Games or AYG 2013 ( zh, c=2013年亚洲青年运动会, p=Èr Líng yī sān Nián Yàzhōu Qīngnián Yùndònghuì), officially the 2nd Asian Youth Games ( zh, c=第二届亚洲青年运动会, p=Dìèr Jiè Yàzhōu Qīngni ...

, where he won the bronze medal in the 100m Freestyle, becoming the first Sri Lankan to win a medal at an

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

event. In 2014, at the

2014 Summer Youth Olympics The 2014 Summer Youth Olympics (), officially known as the II Summer Youth Olympic Games , and commonly known as Nanjing 2014 ( zh, c=南京2014, p=Nánjīng Èr Líng yī sì), were the second Youth Olympic Games, Summer Youth Olympic Games, an ...

, Abeysinghe competed in the 100m Freestyle. After setting a national record in prelims, he advanced to the semi-final, where he raced amongst the likes of future Olympians; Duncan Scott and Kyle Chalmers. Later on, he represented Sri Lanka at the 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships in Doha, Qatar. He also competed in the 2014 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Seoul, Korea. In 2015, Abeysinghe competed at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. Competing at the Hong Kong Age Group Championships, Matthew achieved the "B" qualifying time for the 2016 Olympic Games, becoming the first and only Sri Lankan swimmer, and one of few athletes, to achieve this feat up to that point (his younger brother, Kyle, managed to surpass this mark later on). Abeysinghe competed at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, alongside fellow swimming star,

Kimiko Raheem Kimiko Shihara Raheem (born 28 January 1999) is a Sri Lankan national swimmer who has represented her country at several international competitions. She represented her country at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She won multip ...

. He competed in the 100m Freestyle, with a time of 50.96. Abeysinghe competing in the 2016 Olympic Games

In early 2017, Abeysinghe moved to the US to attend

. There he resumed training, after a prolonged leg injury in late 2016. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in

Gold Coast, Australia The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital, Brisbane. It is Queensland's second-largest city a ...

, Abeysinghe was a part of the 4×100 Freestyle relay for Sri Lanka. Alongside him was his younger brother Kyle, Akalanka Pieris and Cherantha De Silva. Together, they became the first Sri Lankan team to make finals at the Commonwealth Games. Unfortunately, due to an early start, they were disqualified. At the Games, he also competed in the 50m and 100m Freestyle, qualifying for the semi-final in the latter. There he competed against the likes of

Cameron McEvoy Cameron McEvoy (born 13 May 1994) is an Australian competitive swimmer who represented his country at the 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics. He is the reigning Olympic champion in the men's 50m freestyle, and also the first Australian m ...

Chad Le Clos Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos, OIS (born 12 April 1992) is a South African competitive swimmer who is an Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games champion. He is the African record, Commonwealth record, and South African record holder in the short ...

, and

Benjamin Proud Benjamin Proud (born 21 September 1994) is an English competitive swimmer, representing Great Britain at the Olympic Games, the FINA World Aquatics Championships and LEN European Aquatics Championships, and England at the Commonwealth Games. Pro ...

. He also became the first Sri Lankan to break the "50-second" barrier. Later on that year, he competed at the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games (), and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, were a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 August to 2 September 201 ...

in Jakarta, Indonesia. Again, he was a part of the Freestyle relay team alongside his brother Kyle, Akalanka Pieris and Cherantha De Silva. He also competed in the 50m and 100m Freestyle events, qualifying for the semifinal in both. A serious medal contender in the 100m Freestyle, Abeysinghe was unable to stand atop the podium, placing 5th. Abeysinghe also competed in the 100m freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

2016 South Asian Games

With seven gold medals, two silver and one bronze (10 medals at 11 events) in

2016 South Asian Games The 2016 South Asian Games, officially the XII South Asian Games, is a major multi-sport event which took place from 5 February to 16 February 2016 in Guwahati and Shillong, India. A total of 2,672 athletes competed in 226 events over 22 sports ...

, Abeysinghe broke the record for most gold medals in South Asian Games by a Sri Lankan, previously set by

back in 1991 South Asian Games. With this feat Matthew became the highest gold medal winner at a single SAG in any sport from any country!

2016 Summer Olympics

Abeysinghe is the first swimmer ever to qualify under the Olympic Standard(B) to represent Sri Lanka in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games from 5 to 22 August.

2018 Commonwealth Games

In February 2018, Abeysinghe was named to Sri Lanka's

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

team. In the 50 and 100 meter Freestyle events he reached the semi-final recording a top 20 time in the world for the 100m freestyle. He was placed 10th and 14th, respectively. His time of 49.11 in the 100 Freestyle was an Ohio State University record and he became the 1st Sri Lankan to break the 50 second barrier. Along with his teammates he reached the finals in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, placing 8th in prelims and recording a time of 3:22.84, shattering the National and SAF record.

2019 South Asian Games

Matthew continued his golden run at the South Asian Games and repeated his feat from the 2016 edition, winning 7 gold and a silver in the 2019 South Asian Games held in Kathmandu Nepal.

2020 Summer Olympics

Abeysinghe overcame training challenges due to COVID and competed in the 50 and 100 Freestyle events at the postponed Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.

2023 World Aquatics Championships

After a break from swimming, Abeysinghe stormed back in dramatic fashion taking the top spot on the Sri Lankan National Team to qualify for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

2023 Asian Games

Continuing on from the success he had in Fukuoka, Abeysinghe represented Sri Lanka at the 2023 Asian Games where broke the 50m Butterfly National record, previously held by Akalanka Peiris.

Personal life

Matthew Abeysinghe is from Colombo, Sri Lanka. He was born in the US and started his swimming career there. Matthew had a great start where he was top 5 in the US Top 16 classification as an 8 year old and was placed 1st in the 50 Butterfly. He joined the Swim America program and Killer Whale Aquatics when it was launched in 2012. He then joined Asian International School Colombo, subsequently moving to the US for higher education and training at The Ohio State University. In Sri Lanka he was coached by his father Manoj Abeysinghe, at the Killer Whale Aquatics in Sri Lanka. His family is well known for their swimming prowess in the sporting community of Sri Lanka. He has three brothers, one elder and two younger, all of whom are swimmers. His elder brother, Andrew Abeysinghe, is a former national champion, national record holder, and multiple South Asian Games gold medalist. Dillon Abeysinghe, his younger brother, is a former national champion, national record holder, and South Asian Aquatic Championship medalist. His youngest brother, Kyle Abeysinghe, is a two-time silver medalist at the Youth Commonwealth Games, one of few Sri Lankan athletes, and only swimmer, to ever achieve such a feat. At the South Asian Games level he is a gold medalist and South Asian Games record holder. At the domestic level he is also a national record holder and national champion. Their father, Manoj Abeysinghe is their coach and the four brother's hold the 4x50 Medley Relay national record. Mathew trained out of the CR&FC's swimming pool in Colombo, and his team Killer Whale Aquatics is a dominant force in the local swimming arena, where they have won the men's national championship on 5 consecutive years since 2015 and the women's national championship on 5 occasions as well.

National and international awards

* Winner

Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year (Sinhala: අද දෙරණ වසරේ ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයා) is an annual award presented to Sri Lankans who have raised Sri Lanka's profile in the international arena through their care ...

for sports in 2016. * Winner Most Outstanding Sportsman of the Year 2016 – Presidential Sports Award

Achievements

SAF records

Sri Lanka Long Course national records

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abeysinghe, Matthew 1996 births Living people Sri Lankan male swimmers Olympic swimmers for Sri Lanka Swimmers at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games competitors for Sri Lanka Swimmers at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Asian Games competitors for Sri Lanka Swimmers at the 2018 Asian Games South Asian Games medalists in swimming South Asian Games gold medalists for Sri Lanka South Asian Games silver medalists for Sri Lanka South Asian Games bronze medalists for Sri Lanka Swimmers from Colombo Swimmers from Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Hazleton, Pennsylvania Ohio State Buckeyes men's swimmers Swimmers at the 2022 Asian Games 21st-century Sri Lankan sportsmen