Gregory Lake splashed by Jet Ski riders
 

The ‘Jet Ski Championship-Navy Cup 2017’ organized for the fourth time by the Sri Lanka Navy in collaboration with the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council,  worked off  at the alluring waters of Gregory Lake in the cool climes of picturesque Nuwara Eliya on a high note today (22). Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne was the Chief Guest of the event.

Organizing an event of this nature on the sidelines of ‘Wasantha Udanaya’ (Spring Festival) turned out to be an ideal opportunity to promote water sports in inland waters of the country and catch the eyes of both local and foreign tourists who flock to Nuwara Eliya in numbers during this festive season.

Jet Ski is also called Personal Water Craft (PWC) or Water Scooter, is a recreational watercraft popular among the fans of watercraft racing. The Navy with the assistance of Municipal Council of Nuwara Eliya made way for the prospective Jet Ski riders in the country to unleash their energy in the waters of Gregory Lake.

Apart from the competitors of the Sri Lanka Navy, a large number of contestants representing water sport clubs across the country took part in the championship.  Navy's elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and Divers held spectators spell-bound by their stunning Arrow Boat maneuvers.

The spectacular festival was set in motion by the pioneer in water sports in the island, the Sri Lanka Navy. The cynosure of all eyes of sports enthusiasts across the island drew large number competitors who vied for honours testing their skills to the fullest.

The prestigious 'Navy Cup Jet Ski Champions 2017', was bagged by Thusal Gunawardena winning the first place in Jet Ski above 130 to 300 HP (Slalom) event. WMR Kumara emerged the champion of Jet Ski 130 to 300 HP Drag event. KAND Kodikara and WMMD Wijekoon of the Sri Lanka Navy secured first places in Jet Ski Upto 130 HP Slalom event and Jet Ski Upto 130 HP Drag event respectively. Deepal Peiris won the first place in the event of Jet Ski Veteran. In the events of Kayaking men and women categories, RPDBI Wijerathna and KMDT Kahawaththa secured first places respectively.

The President of the Navy Seva Vanitha Unit, Mrs. Yamuna Wijegunaratne, Chief of Staff of the Navy, Rear Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe, Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council Commissioner and Navy Jet Skiing and Power Boating Chairman Rear Admiral Piyal De Silva and senior officers also attended the event.