Manju to Glamour Glitz and Gold

[The fact file]

Full name: Manjula Dinesh Kumara Wanniarachchi

Born: December 2, 1979 in Kongahawela Matale.

Current age: 30 years

Parents: Daya Thilak Wanniarachchi and Shyama Aluvihare

Sister: Chamari Manjula Kumari Wanniarachchi

School: Vidyartha College Kandy

First coach: Lal Amunugama

Club: Slimline SC, Pannala

International debut: South Asian Games, Katmandu

Mentor: Dian Gomes

Major tournaments: Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Championships, Asian Games, Asian Championships, South Asian Games, South Asian Championships.

First coach

Indika Polkotuwa

L A Amunugama the first Boxing Coach of Manju Wanniarachchi said that he followed the achievement of Manju who started his boxing career at the age of ten that he would bring prestige to Sri Lanka in Boxing one day.

Amunugama further said that in the year 1989, Manju won the under 11 Boxing championship while at school and thereafter he won all national level Boxing meets he participated in .

He further said Manju’s devotion for Boxing for a continues period of 19 years brought him this victory.

Chris Dhambarage

It was at the backdrop of some uncertainty that he took wing to New Delhi while spearheading the Sri Lankan contingent for the prestigious Commonwealth Games Boxing Championships..But he hardly anticipated that this same meet would eventually turn a new leaf in this sport and create a piece of history in this country.

For thirty year old veteran pugilist Manjula Dinesh Kumara Wanniarachchi it turned out to be a dream that came true as he performed the near impossibility by winning a gold medal in the bantam weight category..For 72 years Sri Lanka has been starved of a gold medal since the 1938 Games in Sydney and on October 13, 2010 Manju Wanniarachchi was able to enact that performance in a most remarkable manner.

Familiar

The venue and the setting of course was very much familiar for Wanniarachchi who had earlier clinched a silver medal in the Commonwealth Boxing Championships in New Delhi.

No doubt he was able to draw inspiration from that success this year having returned to competitive boxing after being left out from the Sri Lankan squad for the Asian Games in Bangladesh.

He lost the local selection trial meet after deciding to reduce weight and compete in the Under 51 kg weight category. This was a huge setback in Wanniarachchi’s illustrious career in which he reigned supreme as the National Bantam Weight Champion for more than a decade and with a number of international medals in between.

Even then the former schoolboy from Vidyartha College Kandy and now attached to Slimline Pannala decided to fight his way in his own style while forcing himself back into national recognition.

National side

He did not let the South Asian Games setback to end his career as he carved his way back to the national side in his characteristic bantam weight category. He then went on to make history while fighting back with the spirit of a true champion, bloodying and battering all opponents in his path to make it to the highest point of Commonwealth Games Boxing. Wanniarachchi was in a class of his own as he came out with all guns blazing as he sailed through the preliminary round, quarterfinal and semifinal bouts while defeating some of the reputed boxers from Botswana, Kenya and Wales respectively.

In his previous outing he had to settle for a silver medal while going down against Britain’s superstar Ivan Waver who is tipped as an Olympic prospect for the United Kingdom in 2012.

Once again Wanniarachchi was faced with a similar situation as he entered the ring to confront Welshman Sean McGoldrick in a historic bout. On the earlier occasion he was recognized as the Best Loser of the tournament while recognizing the undying spirit and the courage he displayed throughout the event.

However by that time he reached the final he had already emerged as a hero having secured a silver medal in his weight class category. But for Wanniarachchi the thrill of winning a gold medal was always in the back of his mind as he launched a calculated attack on his opponent before emerging victorious on points in a closely fought out contest.

Improvement

This was a tremendous improvement considering the fact that he had been knocked out from quarterfinals of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Thereafter he took fresh guard and began his preparations in a more purposeful manner that helped him to overcome all obstacles and challenges successfully.

With this medal, Wanniarachchi has just proven that he is still good enough to compete at the highest international level. The Amateur Boxing Association of Sri Lanka will certainly look towards him as one of the favorites to secure further medals at the Asian Games coming up later this year in China.

Further success will provide Wanniarachchi with the ideal platform to fight his way for Olympic Qualification, following up on Anuruddha Ratnayake’s success in 2008. He has proven that he has still got a lot of boxing left with in him at the highest level and should be proud of the way he has fought back the adversities he faced over the past 12 months.

Expectations

What counts is not the number of times you get knocked down, but the number of times you get back up and keep fighting. Manju Wanniarchchi has lived up to the expectations as being one of the finest Sri Lankan boxers in the modern era.

No one will be surprised if he uses this success as the launching pad to elevate himself towards an Olympic qualification by next year. It was Dian Gomes former President of the Amateur Boxing Association of Sri Lanka who spotted Wanniarachchi’s potential as a young school leaver and was quick to take him under his wings of Slimline in Pannala.

That was an opportunity which has proved to be quite decisive in shaping Wanniarachchi’s international boxing career over the ensuing decade. Sri Lankan boxing fans will have high expectations of Wanniarachchi to keep up his good form and do the country proud by carrying the Lion flag to London in 2012.

His Commonwealth conquest may just have been the first step in that long and laborious journey towards achieving his childhood dream, an Olympic Medal for his motherland.