Paddler Ishara Madurangi stole the limelight in 2009

Sampath BANDARA

Ishara Madurangi of Sri Lanka Air Force, an old girl of Sri Devananda College Ambalangoda clinched the women's singles title in the National Table Tennis Championship this year.

Ishara, is a young, outstanding and gifted table tennis player in the island, is the number one ranked player in the schools. She is also among the best women's TT players in the island.

Ishara Madurangi was also adjudged Most Outstanding Sportswoman of the year at the 16th Annual Milo Schools Colours Awards Ceremony held at the BMICH, Colombo recently and Best Women's Player at the 34th National Sports Festival.

Ishara is our main hope for the upcoming South Asian Games which will be held in January (Bangladesh) and Asian Games (China). Her next target is South Asian games in which she hopes to win a Gold Medal.

Ishara was in the Sri Lanka squad at the South Asian Junior Schools Tournament in Pakistan and she also won two Silver Medals and a Bronze Medal, she also had opportunities to represent.

Asian Table Tennis Tournament held in Singapore and World Championship held in China. She bagged 11th place in the Asian TT Championships held in Laknow, India recently.

Ishara started playing table tennis at the age of 7, following in the foot steps of her elder brother. She cliched Southern Province Under 8 Championship in the year 1998. In 1999 she was able to clinch the All Island Under nine TT Championship. In 2004 Ishara was selected for the Sri Lanka National Team for the first time. She won the National Championships in 2004, 2008 and 2009 and also won the Junior National Championships in 2005, 2006 and 2007. She paid a glowing tribute to H.M. Sumathipala, Principal of Sri Devananda College and her coach A.W. Anura Lal for taking great pains to make her the Star Player in Sri Lanka and the Commander of Sri Lanka Air Force and other officials for supporting her sporting career. Ishara Madurangi is one of the brightest stars from the Southern Coastal Town of Ambalangoda which is known as the cradle of Table Tennis in Sri Lanka.