Former national weightlifting champion Maurice Windus dies

by S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy sports correspondent

The death occurred in Kandy on Saturday night of former Up Country ruggerite, national weightlifting champion and body building champion Maurice Windus. He was 69 years old at the time of his death.

He suffered a stroke when he was attending a memorial service of a colleague who passed away a few months back and he was rushed to Kandy hospital where he passed away. His funeral will take place at Menikhinna in the outskirts of Kandy on Tuesday.

His body will be brought to the Kandy YMCA (Kotugodella Veediya) today, Monday - May 9th where it will lie in state for the public to pay their last respects. He was the General Secretary of the Kandy YMCA at the time of his death.

Maurice Windus who is an old boy of St. Sylvester's College, Kandy excelled in boxing, soccer and athletics during his schooldays. He later joined the Sri Lanka Air Force where he played rugby and also competed in weightlifting and physical culture. But it was after joining Kandy Lake Club that he blossomed out as a ruggerite playing as a prop forward and he went on to represent the Up Country team in the Capper Cup matches.

In weightlifting he represented both Kandy Lake Club and the Kandy YMCA and was the national champion for many years in the light heavy weight class in the days before the body weight classes were introduced.

In body building too he was the local champion and also became Mr. Ceylon in the medium class category and represented the country in the Mr. Asia contest held in Malaysia in the sixties.

He is best remembered for his survival after a severe attack by a 'polonga' (Russel's Viper) in the sixties whilst walking home through a paddy field in the night. The courageous and strong man he was, he killed the reptile and collapsed before help could reach him. He was rushed to a snake bite specialist in the village who found several fang marks in the leg and was surprised that he was living though in a coma.

Maurice did not know how he survived this venomous attack but said that all he could remember was that after a weight lifting late into the evening, he had several cups of plain tea before taking the last bus home. Again at the village tea boutique he felt thirsty and had two cups of plain tea without sugar before walking home when he encountered the deadly venomous reptile.

Then it was a fight for survival as the enemy dug its fangs into his leg.