Athlete Wimaladasa did Sri Lanka proud

SAMPATH BANDARA

Colonel Wickremasinghe Wimaladasa was one of the most outstanding athletes produced by Sri Lanka.

Wimaladasa clinched the gold medals in the 400 metres (with a new Games Record) and 4X400 relay events in the seventh Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand 1974.

Wickremasinghe Wimaladasa was born in Nugawela, a village close to historic Dambadeniya in the Kurunegala District on May 29, 1943.

He was educated at Nugawela Salvation Army Primary School and Alawwa Central.

He started athletics in his early days. He was best athlete in the 100m, 200m and long jump event in the Kurunegala District.

Army Champion

In 1963, he joined the Gemunu Regiment of Sri Lanka Army as a soldier. In the next year, he emerged champion of 100 metres and 200 metres in the Inter-Regiment Athletic Meet and he was able to establish a novices record.

In 1965, he set a 100 metres new national record (11.3 seconds), an year later he was able to equal Duncan White’s 200 metres national record clocking 22.20 seconds in the 200m event at this meet.

Wimaladasa established a new national record for the first time in the 400m event (48.9 seconds) in 1968. He obtained a silver medal in the 400m event (46.7 seconds) at the sixth Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand. This was his first international medal.

Asian games golds

W. Wimaladasa won the gold medal with a new Games Record in the 400m event at the seventh Asian Games held in Teheran, Iran in 1974. His recorded time was 46.21 seconds. He clinched another gold medal in the 400m relay event and clocked 3:07.40 with A. Premachandra Kosala Sahabandu and Sunil Gunawardena.

unich olympics

Wimaladasa participated in the 18th Olympic Games held in Munich, Germany (1972) along with S.L.B. Rosa, and Sunil Gunawardena. In the first round Wimaladasa finished the 400 metres event in 46.50 seconds and entered the second round in which he got fifth place (46.50 seconds) missing the semi-finals.

Wimaladasa gained a bronze medal at the first ever Asian Athletic Championships held in Seoul in the 4X100m relay event along with Dervin Perera, Bandula Jayasinghe and A. Premachandra. He also won a gold medal in the second Indo-Lanka Dual Meet. Colonel W. Wimaladasa was honoured with the Deshabandu award for his distinguished service for Sri Lanka athletics.

Colonel W. Wimaladasa retired after 35 years yeoman Army Service in the rank of Colonel in 1998.