Captain of the School Swimming Team Gold Medalist at the Green Programme inWinter Games in Korea Azquiya Yusuf has brought honour and immense glory to her two schools Sujatha Vidyalaya and British International School Colombo and her motherland with her deeds in swimming, athletics and winter games.
Asquiya was born on 24 th March 2000 and hails from Kotte and initially she was admitted to Sujatha Vidyalaya Nugegoda in 2006 and in 2010 she took up residence in Malaysia and after returning to the island she rejoined her old school and commenced athletics and in the under 12 age group she did 100 and 200 metres and High Jump and won places at the school Inter House Sports Meet and participated at the Divisional and Zonal Meets and gained places and her Coach was Mr.Chamara.
Though she did athletics her forte is swimming and noticing the keenness and interest to swimming her Parents Huzam Yusuf and Avalon Yusuf handed over their daughter to school Prefect of Games Mrs.Menike and the Coach Mr.Dayananda and her events were Free Style, Back Stroke, Butter Fly and Breast Stroke and her first attempt was in the under 13 Novices Swimming Meet at Fingara Swimming Meet and she won places in the 100 Butter Fly 50 Back Stroke and 500 Free Style and in 2017 in the 43 rd National Aquatic Championship she won a Silver Medal in the 200 metre Back Stroke and a Bronze in 200 Individual Medly under 17 age group.
Her parents made arrangements to admit their daughter to British School Colombo to enhance her education and swimming careers and her first meet over there was Western Province School Games and in 200 Individual Medly she won a Gold Medal and Silvers for 100 and 50 Back Stroke events and in the same year at the 13 th SICC Open Invitation Swimming Championship in Singapore representing IKAN ILLIS Malaysian Club she grabbed a Gold for 50 meter Back Stroke with a new meet record and Gold for 50 meter Free Style and another Gold for 50 metre Butterfly in the under 18 age group and in the 2017 Junior Nationals Short Course Meet 100 Course Meet a Silver for 100 meter Individual Medely and Bronzes for 100 metre and
200 meter Back Stroke and in the 23 rd Inter International Schools Meet Golds for 100 Back Stroke and 50 Free Style and a Gold for 200 Individual Medly and she was the Champion and then in 2018 at the 44 th National Age Group Meet a Gold for Back Stroke 200 and a Silver for 200 Individual Medly and in the same year at the 45 th All Island Age Group Meet Gold for 200 Back Stroke with a new meet record and a Gold for 50 meter Back Stroke and a Gold for 200 Individual Medly with a new meet record and she was the Champion and in the 2018 All Island School Games under 18 age group a Gold for 200 Individual Medly Silver for 100 Back Stroke and a Bronze for 50 meter Back Stroke.
Then in the 24 th Inter International Schools Meet under 18 age group she won Golds for 100 and 50 Free Style and a Gold for 200 International Medley and she was the Champion Swimmer and in the 2019 All Island Schools Games a Gold for 100 Back Stroke Silver for 100 Free Style and a Bronze for 200 meter Back Stroke and with all these marvellous performances under her belt she was a unanimous choice for the 54 th Malaysian Invitational National Age Group Swimming Championship and represented Sri Lanka in Kuala Lampur and once again represented the country at the SAAC Games Age Group held in Bangalore India in 2019.
In 2018 representing her alma mater in athletics in the Inter Schools Meet under 19 age group she won a Gold for 1500 meters with a new schools record and a Silver for 800 meters and at the Western Provincial Meet she came second in 800 and 1500 meter events and finally at the Inter International Meet in 2019 she came third in 800 and 1500 meter events.
She was the school swimming captain in 2017 and 2018.
She participated for the Water Sports in Korea for the Green Programme in 2015 where 42 countries participated and in the Snow boarding Event representing the country she won a Gold Medal and in 2016 too she participated and she won a Gold and 44 countries took part and in 2017 at the 8 th Asian Water Games held in Japan she participated for Giant Slalom Event and she was the youngest competitor.