Wushu team confident of winning at least four Gold Medals

WUSHU: The Sri Lanka Wushu Federation has selected a six-member team to represent the country at the 10th South Asian Games wushu championships which will be worked off from August 19 to 23 at St. Joseph?s College indoor sports complex in Darley Road.

The six member Sri Lanka wushu team includes Sampath Wijesundera (52 kg), Thilak Hettiarachchi (56 kg), Asiri Wijesinghe (60 kg), Janaka Ranjith Bandara (65 kg), Eranga Weerasinghe (70 kg) and D. Nishantha.

The Sri Lanka wushu team will compete in the sanshu events on a knock out basis. In addition Asanka Premaratne will participate in the TAOLTJ routing events, Prabath Manuranga in the nanquan event and Sajitha Manju Kumara in the thasiquan event which are all combined events.

The Sri Lanka women?s wushu team will include Charika Darshani who will compete in the changquan event, Damayanthi Samarawickrema in the nangquan event and Ashini Weerasinghe in the thasiquan event. Competitors from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will battle for honours in the men?s and women?s tournament.

The Sri Lanka men?s and the women?s wushu team is confident of winning at least four gold medals at the championship.

They had a successful tour of China recently where they had the opportunity of following an advanced training course under professor Mia Zhugh through the courtesy of the International Wushu Federation. (C.D)