Sri Lankan judokas out to give of their best

Chris Dhambarage

JUDO: Six men and five women will represent Sri Lanka at the 10th South Asian Games Judo Championships which will be worked off from August 25 to 27 at S. Thomas' College indoor stadium in Mount Lavinia.

The two teams are determined to put up a good performance at this tournament and are expecting stiff opposition from India and Afghanistan.

The teams are currently putting up their finishing touches after going through a series of training sessions under the guidance of national coach V. S. Perera, women's coach Priyanthi Weerakoon and foreign coach Miyoko Imiko.

The Sri Lanka women's judo team includes three promising school girls from Jinaraja BMV Gampola and Wewathanna Central College, Gampola.

In fact seventeen-year-old Chamila Dilhani Wijeratne from Jinaraja BMV Gampola is a good medal prospect for Sri Lanka where she will compete in the 48 kg class event.

Wijeratne's best effort came last year when she won a silver medal at the South Asian judo championships held in India last year. Earlier she won a bronze medal at the Gold Cup judo championships held in Thailand in 2001.

She has also participated in several international events including the Asian junior judo championships and the Rajiv Gandhi international judo championships where she was successful in winning a bronze medal.

Seventeen-year-old Niluka Idamawatta is another student of Jinaraja BMV Gampola who is expected to put up a good performance at this event. She had the honour of winning a bronze medal at the South Asian judo championships held in India last year. In addition she also participated in the Gold Cup international judo championships held in Thailand in 2003 while competing in the 62 kg class event.

The Sri Lanka women's judo team will also include Chandimali Gunasekera from Sri Lanka Army and M. D. L. U. Weerasinghe from Sri Lanka Air Force. Twenty-three-year-old Chandimali Gunasekera will compete in the 63 kg class event where she has won two silver medals at the South Asian judo championships in 1994 and 2004. She also participated in the international championships held in Thailand in 2002 and at the World Security Forces judo championships held in China and Russia respectively.

Twenty-year-old M. D. L. U. Weerasinghe will compete in the 70 kg class event having won a bronze medal at the South Asian judo championships held in India in 2004. She also had the honour of participating in the Rajiv Gandhi international judo championships in 2004 and at the World Security Forces judo championships in Russia in 2004.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka men's judo team for the 10th South Asian Games will be spearheaded by skipper R. D. K. V. S. Gunasekera of Sri Lanka Police Sports Club and National Youth Services Sports Club, Maharagama.

He will compete in the 81 kg class event and is the most experienced competitor having represented the country in a number of international tournaments during the last seven years.

Gunasekera had the honour of participating in the International championships in Thailand in 1999, Asian judo championships in 2002 in Korea, International judo championships in China this year, Adiddas trophy judo championships this year, Rajiv Gandhi International tournament in 2005, Open judo championships in Thailand last year, Asian judo championships in China last year and South Asian judo championships (bronze medal).

In addition twenty-three-year-old Madura Milan from Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club will compete in the 60 kg class event and has one silver medal to his credit having excelled at the Gold Cup international championships in Thailand in 2001 and won another bronze medal at the All India judo championships last year.

The other competitors in the men's team are twenty-five-year-old M. G. G. Bandara of Sri Lanka Navy, twenty-three-year-old S. K. Hapuarachchi of Sri Lanka Police SC, twenty-five-year-old R. R. M. U. B. Bambaradeniya of Sri Lanka Air Force SC and twenty-eight-year-old M. S. Pushpakumara of Sri Lanka Police SC.