Two Ohio State swimmers will be competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for other countries according to a release from the University.
From the Ohio State Department of Athletics:
“Freestyler Matthew Abeysinghe will compete for Sri Lanka in the Olympic Games, his second such honor, and rising sophomore sprint freestyler Ruslan Gaziev will compete for the Canadian Olympic Team.
“This is Abeysinghe’s second Olympic Games. He also swam for Sri Lanka at the 2016 Rio games, becoming the first Sri Lankan swimmer to qualify under an Olympic standard. Abeysinghe was a seven-time relay All-American for the Buckeyes, including first-team as part of the 200 free, 400 free and 800 free relays. He graduated in 2021 with his degree in sport industry.
“Abeysinghe was born in Hazelton, Pa., and lived there for six years before moving and living for eight years in Beavercreek, Ohio. He moved to his father’s home country of Sri Lanka about six years ago.
“Gaziev swam the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons for Ohio State and took this past season off to focus on the Olympics. The Toronto, Ontario native will be a junior in the fall.
Gaziev was named to the Canadian Olympic Team this week after finishing second in both the semifinals and finals of the 100 freestyle with times of 49.72 and 48.81, respectively. Gaziev will take part in the 4×100 relay in Tokyo.”
The list of Ohio State athletes and former athletes making their way to Tokyo is becoming impressive. We may not root for either country, but we’ll certainly keep a scarlet and gray eye on both swimmers as they try to make their own mark in the Summer games.