Sri Lankan swimmer Akalanka Peiris broke three national records in two days at the 2026 Australian Short Course Championships, lowering his own 50m backstroke mark twice before setting a new 100m individual medley record.
Peiris, who trains in Melbourne, clocked 24.45 seconds in the heats of the men's 50m backstroke on Thursday, October 1, then went faster again in the final with a time of 24.35 seconds. Both swims beat his previous national record of 24.52 seconds, set in 2024.
The following day, Peiris broke the Sri Lankan record in the 100m individual medley, swimming 55.55 seconds to improve on the previous mark of 55.79 seconds.
The championships brought together leading Australian swimmers and international competitors, giving Peiris a test against some of the region's fastest swimmers.
Peiris is working towards the 2026 World Aquatics Championships, with the aim of representing Sri Lanka at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.