Gateway College expands fleet in rowing conquest

Gateway’s new Quad Four convertible

Gateway College’s rowing marked a historic milestone with the acquisition of two state-of-the-art Falcon Racing boats, a quad-four convertible Dreadnought and a single scull Gladiator. 

The investment represents a first for any school or institution in Sri Lanka.

Manufactured by Falcon Racing, an internationally recognised brand with a direct partnership with the Asian Rowing Federation and the official supplier for the Asian Rowing Championships, the boats are said to bring world-class technology and performance standards to school rowing in Sri Lanka.

Rowing was introduced at Gateway College as a competitive school sport in 2012, adding to an already rich sporting programme spanning over 12 disciplines. 

Although relatively new at the time, rowing immediately attracted strong interest from both boys and girls across age groups. 

Recognising the enthusiasm and long-term potential, the school made a bold and forward-looking commitment to the sport.

In 2013, Gateway College officially launched its first fleet of rowing boats at the Colombo Rowing Club, marking the beginning of a journey filled with promise. The inaugural fleet included two fours convertible to quadruple sculls, two pairs convertible to double sculls, two single sculls, two Concept2 ergometer machines, 14 sweep oars and 12 sculls from CROKER (Australia)—the brand that dominated medal tallies at the London Olympics—as well as a coaching and umpiring launch, a first-of-its-kind initiative in Sri Lanka at the time. 

Each boat was given a name inspired by legendary vessels of history—Victory, Invincible, Challenger, Endeavour, Yamato, and Mayflower—symbolising strength, resilience and ambition. Over the years, the fleet expanded further with the addition of two WinTech boats, a single scull and a convertible double-pair. Gateway rowers train in classical rowing at the Diyawanna Rowing Centre, Sri Lanka’s only artificial two-kilometre rowing course and the official venue for all National indoor and Classical Rowing Championships conducted under the Sri Lanka Rowing Federation. Training alongside elite national athletes has enabled Gateway rowers to develop technical excellence and competitive resilience from an early age according to the school.

From 2020 onwards, Gateway athletes have featured consistently on national podiums across multiple age categories. 

At the 2025 National Rowing Championships, Gateway delivered one of its finest performances to date, securing multiple gold medals across school, junior and mixed events, highlighted by the prestigious Best Junior Girls Sculler Award.

Gateway’s impact extends well beyond podium finishes. Over the past three years, four Gateway athletes have represented Sri Lanka internationally with three selected to the Junior National Pool, one joined the Junior Development Pool, four additional athletes were named to the Talent Development Pool and one qualified for the Asian Junior Rowing Championships 2024 in China.

The achievements reflect not only individual talent, but also the quality of coaching, facilities and institutional support underpinning the programme according to the school.Through sustained investment, visionary leadership and unwavering belief in its athletes, Gateway College continues to play a decisive role in accelerating the growth of rowing in Sri Lanka—particularly at school level.

With a world-class fleet, cutting-edge equipment, national and international representation and a steadily growing medal tally, the school believes that the future of rowing at Gateway has never looked stronger in the past as it is today.