Matthew Abeysinghe

Matthew Abeysinghe
Born	Matthew Duncan Abeysinghe (1996-03-19) March 19, 1996 United States
Occupation	Swimmer
Years active	2010–present
Known for	Representing Sri Lanka at the Olympics and South Asian Games; national record holder in multiple freestyle distances and other swimming events

Matthew Duncan Abeysinghe OLY (born 19 March 1996) is an accomplished swimmer who has represented Sri Lanka at prominent international competitions, including the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Recognized as Sri Lanka’s premier swimmer and among the elite athletes in South Asia, he holds national records across all freestyle distances, as well as in the 200m and 400m Individual Medley and the 50m Butterfly. Abeysinghe set a new benchmark for the highest number of gold medals won at a single South Asian Games by securing seven golds in 2016 (Guwahati), a record he surpassed again in 2019 (Kathmandu).

He developed his skills under the guidance of his father and coach, Manoj Abeysinghe, training with Killer Whale Aquatics before continuing his swimming career while pursuing higher education at Ohio State University. His brothers Andrew, Dillon, and Kyle Abeysinghe have also been part of the Sri Lankan National swimming squad.

Career

Starting swimming at just three years old alongside his older brother Andrew, Abeysinghe initially took up the sport for water safety rather than competition. Over his career, he has accumulated numerous international medals, set multiple national records, and earned various championships and honors. He stands as the most decorated athlete in South Asian Games history, boasting 14 golds, two silvers, and one bronze medal. In freestyle—his strongest discipline—he holds every Sri Lankan national record except for the 200m Freestyle, which is held by his younger brother Kyle. Additionally, he owns South Asian records in both the 100m and 200m Freestyle events.

Abeysinghe’s international debut occurred at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where he broke the national record in the 400m Freestyle and became Sri Lanka’s youngest male swimmer on the national team. That same year, he also competed at the 2010 FINA World Swimming Championships in Dubai. In 2011, he represented Sri Lanka at three significant competitions: the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, the Youth Commonwealth Games—where he reached the final of the 400m Freestyle—and the Asian Age Group Swimming Championships, earning a silver medal in the 100m Freestyle. He participated in the 2012 FINA World Championships held in Istanbul and secured a bronze medal in the 100m Freestyle at the 2013 Asian Youth Games, marking Sri Lanka’s first medal at an Asian Games event.

At the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics, Abeysinghe established a new national record during the preliminaries of the 100m Freestyle and advanced to the semifinals, competing against future Olympic champions such as Duncan Scott and Kyle Chalmers. He also took part in the 2014 FINA World Championships in Doha and competed at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Seoul. In 2015, during the FINA World Championships in Kazan, he achieved a "B" qualifying time for the 2016 Olympics—the first Sri Lankan swimmer to do so—a milestone later exceeded by his brother Kyle.

Competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Abeysinghe swam the 100m Freestyle with a time of 50.96 seconds. In early 2017, he relocated to the United States to enroll at Ohio State University, resuming training following recovery from a leg injury.

During the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Australia, Abeysinghe teamed up with his brother Kyle and fellow swimmers Akalanka Pieris and Cherantha De Silva to reach Sri Lanka’s inaugural finals appearance in the 4×100 Freestyle relay; however, they were disqualified due to an early takeoff. He also advanced to semifinals in both the 50m and 100m Freestyle events, becoming the first Sri Lankan athlete to swim under "50 seconds" in these races.

Later that year at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Abeysinghe again competed as part of Sri Lanka’s 4×100 m Freestyle relay team and qualified for semifinals in both individual sprint disciplines. Despite being considered a strong candidate for a medal in the 100m Freestyle, he ultimately finished fifth.

Abeysinghe represented Sri Lanka once more by competing in the men's 100m freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo.

2016 South Asian Games

At the 2016 South Asian Games, Abeysinghe secured an impressive haul of seven golds, two silvers, and one bronze across 11 events. This achievement surpassed the previous record for the highest number of gold medals won by a Sri Lankan at a single edition, a benchmark set by Julian Bolling in 1991. His performance also established him as the top gold medalist in a single South Asian Games across all sports and nations.

2016 Summer Olympics

Abeysinghe made history as the first Sri Lankan swimmer to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics by meeting the Olympic Standard (B) qualifying time. The Games were held from August 5 to 22.

2018 Commonwealth Games

In early 2018, Abeysinghe was selected to represent Sri Lanka at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He advanced to the semi-final rounds in both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events, finishing 10th and 14th respectively. Notably, his time in the 100m freestyle ranked within the world’s top twenty. Clocking a 49.11-second finish in this event, he set a new Ohio State University record and became the first Sri Lankan swimmer to swim under 50 seconds. Additionally, alongside his teammates, he reached the final of the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay after placing eighth in the heats with a time of 3:22.84, breaking both National and South Asian Federation records.

2019 South Asian Games

Continuing his dominance in regional competition, Abeysinghe earned seven gold medals and one silver at the 2019 South Asian Games held in Kathmandu, Nepal, mirroring his outstanding performance from three years prior.

2020 Summer Olympics

Despite facing significant disruptions to training due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Abeysinghe competed in both the 50m and 100m freestyle events at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, which were postponed to 2021.

2023 World Aquatics Championships

Following a period away from competition, Abeysinghe made a strong comeback by leading Sri Lanka’s national swimming team to secure qualification for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships hosted in Fukuoka, Japan.

2023 Asian Games

Building on his momentum from Fukuoka, Abeysinghe represented Sri Lanka at the 2023 Asian Games where he broke the national record in the 50m Butterfly event, previously held by Akalanka Peiris.

Personal life

Born in the United States and residing in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Matthew Abeysinghe embarked on his swimming journey at an early age. By eight years old, he ranked within the top five of the US Top 16 classification and claimed first place in the 50 Butterfly event. His formative training was with Swim America and Killer Whale Aquatics beginning in 2012. He attended Asian International School Colombo before advancing his education and training at The Ohio State University. Under the guidance of his father Manoj Abeysinghe—who coaches Killer Whale Aquatics—Matthew is part of a distinguished swimming family. His three brothers have each achieved notable success: elder brother Andrew is a former national champion and South Asian Games gold medalist; younger brother Dillon holds national records and has medaled at South Asian Aquatic Championships; youngest brother Kyle is a two-time Youth Commonwealth Games silver medalist as well as a South Asian Games gold medalist and record holder. Together, they hold the national record for the 4x50 Medley Relay. Since 2015, Killer Whale Aquatics has maintained dominance in Sri Lankan swimming by securing five consecutive national championships for both men’s and women’s categories.

National and international awards

• Recipient of the Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year award for sports in 2016.
• Honored as Most Outstanding Sportsman of the Year at the Presidential Sports Awards in 2016.

Related topics

• List of Sri Lankans by sport