Ransilu smashes six national records

Kandy sports correspondent

WEIGHTLIFTING: Sri Lanka's weightlifting prodigy ninteen-year-old Ransilu Jayatilake from Kandy YMCA smashed six national records in the Junior and Senior category and became the highest lifter in the history of weightlifting in Sri Lanka when he hoisted a total of 292 Kilogrammes at the National Weightlifting trials conducted by the Sri Lanka Weightlifting Federation for the SAF Games and Commonwealth Championship 2006 held at the Ministry of Sports Weightlifting Centre in Colombo.

Massively and strongly built teenager Ransilu Jayatilake, a product of Kignswood College now being trained by Athula Wijewickrema at the Kandy YMCA and also his father, the famous triple international D.U.M. Jayatilake competed in the 105 kgs body weight category and first snatched 126 kilogrammes which lowered his now record of 125 kilogrammes stabled last year. This bettered the Senior and Junior national records for this lift. This brought him two records. Ransilu Jayatilake next clean and jerked 166 kilogrammes which crashed his own record of 165 kilogrammes. This being new junior and senior marks brought him another two records. The total of both these lifts was 292 killogrammes and this lowered the highest over total of 290 kilogrammes and being still a jumbo and competing in the senior category brought him a further two records making a total of six records. The loft of snatch 126 kgs. and clean and jerk 166 kgs and the aggregate of 292 are all highest in the history of weight lifting in Sri Lanka which has a history of over 50 years.