Lankan shuttle team blend of youth and experience
Dilanka MANNAKKARA
South Asian Games 2010 is just a week away and the Sri Lankan teams
are hard at practice to make their motherland proud. The Badminton team
which was finally selected for the Games comprises of top shuttlers with
previous South Asian Games experience such as Niluka Karunarathne,
Thilini Jayasinghe and Chandrika de Silva.
The Sri Lanka National men’s and women’s badminton team
along with the officials who will participate in the up
coming 11th South Asian Games which will be held in Dhaka,
Bangladesh. Picture by Ranjith Jayaweera |
Newly crowned women's champion Achini Ratnasiri and the new men's
doubles champions Hasith Chanaka and R.S Dahanayake are also part of the
12 member squad which is going to leave the island soon. Promising young
star Nuwan Hettiarachchi and girls champion Lekha Shehani are new
additions for the squad which displays a fine blend of youth and
experience and is expected to perform well in the upcoming Games.
According to the team manager Sqr. Leader Amal Dias although Sri Lanka
will face tough competition from their Indian counterpart they are
expected to at least win a single gold medal. Sri Lanka managed to win
the Silver medal in the team event at the last edition of the South
Asian games which was held in Sri Lanka in 2006.
The full team is as follows.
Men: Niluka Karunaratne, Dinuka Karunaratne, Nuwan
Hettiarchchi, Diluka Karunaratna, R.S. Dahanayake, Hasitha Chanaka.
Women : Thilini Jayasingha, Chandrika de Silva, Achini Ratnasiri,
Lekha Shehani, Nadeesha Gayathri, Upuli Samanthika Weerasingha.
Coach - K.S Pushpakumara
Manager - Sqr. Leader Amal Dias
Niluka Karunaratne
24 years - Men's Singles, Mixed doubles
He is Sri Lanka's best bet in Badminton for the upcoming Games.
Niluka has won the national singles Championship for nine consecutive
times since 2001. Niluka represented Sri Lanka in the SAG 2006 and 2004.
In 2006 in the team finals match a 20 year old Niluka lost to India's
Champion Chetan after three gruelling sets of intense stroke play.
Niluka who studied at Royal College Colombo 7, also won a Bronze medal
in the 2004 edition of SAG.
In the year 2010 Niluka displayed his dominance by winning the
Mercantile Singles, SSC open and the senior National titles. Niluka also
won the Senior Nationals mixed doubles championship along with the
experienced Chandrika de Silva. Niluka is currently employed at Seylan
Bank.
Achini Ratnasiri
16 years - Women's Singles, Women's Doubles
Achini created history when she won the Women's Singles championship
by beating veteran Chandrika de Silva. She also won the Women's Doubles
title along with her doubles partner who were also won the gold medal in
the Asian Junior Badminton tournament in 2009. Achini who is currently
ranked number 1 in rankings is one of Sri Lanka's brightest prospects
for the future. She likes to play the defensive game to tire her
opponent and uses the drop shot and the fake smash to gain points. She
currently studies at Visaka Vidyalaya and this is her maiden SAG.
Rajitha S. Dahanayake
The 16 year old Rajitha was part of the team which won the silver
medal in 2006 SAG.
After his first South Asian Games experience R.S has improved
immensely and matured as a player and is one half of the new men's
doubles champions. He is an old boy of Dharmaraja College Kandy.
Nuwan Hettiarachchi
A youngster who has shown lot of promise and easily is the best
player in the schools arena. Nuwan who currently studies at Ananda
College, Colombo was crowned the triple champion at the Junior Nationals
in 2009. He also won a triple crown at the all island age group 2009
tournament. Due to his impressive performances Nuwan was awarded 'The
most outstanding Badminton Player of the Year 2009' by Sri Lanka
Badminton Association.
Diluka Karunaratne
23 years - Men's Doubles
Diluka along with his brother Dinuka were the runners up in the men's
doubles event of the Senior Nationals tournament 2009. An attacking
player like his brother Niluka, he likes to play the smash shot and uses
it to good effect.
He represented Sri Lanka in the 10th SAG 2006 in Colombo and was part
of the team which won the Silver medal. Diluka combined with Dinuka won
the men's doubles events in the Mercantile tournament and in the SSC
open 2009. He too is an employee of Seylan Bank.
Upuli Samanthika
15 years - Women's Doubles
Upuli who is a student of Sirimavo Bandaranayake Vidyalaya is
Achini's doubles partner. She has had an impressive 2009 as she won the
women's doubles championship at the senior nationals 2009.Upuli would be
participating in her first SAG.
Chandrika de Silva
35 years - Women's Singles, Women's Doubles, Mixed Doubles
She is Sri Lanka's most experienced badminton player and has taken
part in many international tournaments. She has won the women's
championship several times and in 2009 Chandrika was dethroned by young
sensation Achini Ratnasiri at the Senior Nationals. An old girl of
Swarnapali Balika M.V, Anuradhapura, Chandrika has won 2 silver medals
and 6 Bronze medals in 2006 and 2004 SAG. She is also the current
women's doubles champion along with her partner Nadeesha Gayanthi who is
also part of the team. Chandrika also won the mixed doubles championship
along with top seed Niluka Karunaratne. She currently works at Seylan
Bank.
Nadeesha Gayanthi
25 years - Women's Doubles
Nadeesha who is another experienced shuttler will take part in her
third SAG. She has won a Silver medal at the team event and along with
her doubles partner Chandrika, she managed to win a Bronze medal in the
women's doubles event. She has also won a Silver medal in the team event
of the 2004 SAG.Experienced coach K.S Pushpakumara who is a former
national player will act as the team coach for the SAG. Sqr. Leader Amal
Dias who is also the Secretary of the Badminton Association will act as
the team manager for the Dhaka games.
Lekha Shehani
17 years - Mixed Doubles
Lehka had a fantastic 2009 as she was crowned the triple champion in
the Junior National tournament 2009.She bagged the under 19
Singles,Doubles and Mixed Doubles championships and came tantalizingly
close to beat Chandrika de Silva in the Women's Singles finals of the
SSC Open. Lekha would take part in the Mixed Doubles event along with
her doubles partner Dinuka Karunaratne at the upcoming SAG. She is
currently studying at Our lady of Victories Convent, Moratuwa.
Dinuka Karunaratne
22 years - Men's Singles, Men's doubles, Mixed doubles
The youngest member of the Karunaratne brothers. Dinuka had an
impressive 2009. He was the runner up in the men's singles event at the
Senior Nationals which he lost against to his brother Niluka.
Dinuka along with Lekha Shehani fought hard against an experienced
duo of Niluka and Chandrika in the Senior Nationals mixed doubles finals
but were beaten in a closely contested game. Dinuka an old Royalist will
take part in the men's singles, mens doubles and mixed doubles events.
He was also a part of the team which won the Silver medal in 2006.
Presently works at Hatton National Bank.
Thilini Jayasinghe
25 years - Women's Singles
Thilini was the first women shuttler to represent Sri Lanka in the
Olympic Games. She was also the captain of the Sri Lankan team for the
World Mixed team championships held in China.
Thilini who is an old girl of Mahamaya College, Kandy was part of the
team which won the Silver medal in the SAG 2006. She currently works at
Sampath Bank as a Junior executive.
Hasitha Chanaka
25 years - Men's doubles
An old boy of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda Hasitha Chanaka along
with his doubles partner R.S Dahanayake scored a shock win over top
seeds Diluka and Dinuka Karunarathne in the men's doubles final at the
Senior Nationals 2009 and were crowned the new men's doubles champions.
He would be take parting in his 1st South Asian Games. Hasitha who is a
cricketer as well was the opening partner of Sri Lankan National opener
Upul Tharanga at school level.
He is also an undergraduate at the Jayawardenepura University and is
presently employeed at Sampath Bank. |