Golden girl Anita felicitated

Yasarathne Gamage

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage welcomed the first ever Gold Medalist for Sri Lanka at the South Asian Winter Games (SAWG), Anita Kumuduni Roellin, at the Sports Ministry premises yesterday.

Kumuduni represented the 2011 SAWG held in Auli in India and won the gold medal for snowboarding. She also participated in the snow skating event. She beat her opponent by a 10 second lead despite of being ill just before the event. However she managed to gain the top position with only

three days of practice. Seven countries participated in the event including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Minister Mahindananda presented Kumuduni a cash award and a souvenir plaque. Her Swidish coach Stephen Usteri also was felicitated by the minister. The sports minister offered his fullest support for Kumuduni and asked her to continue her sports discipline aiming for a Gold Medal for Sri Lanka at Winter Olympics.

The first ever South Asian Winter Games Festival was organized by the Winter Games Federation of India and the Indian Olympic Committee in the city of Auli located in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

The event which took place from January 10 to 16 this year, became a historic sports festival for Sri Lanka when Anita was the only athlete who represented Sri Lanka at this kind of a competition.

Aged 29, Anita Kumudini Roellin currently resides in Switzerland. Anita told Daily News that she was extremely happy that she brought pride and honour to Sri Lanka.

Annita was adopted 29 years ago by a Swidish couple, Yohan and Elisabeth Roellin and was brought up in switzerland where she had her childhood in the icy mountains. She found her favourite past time to be skiing and snowboarding.

She is a psychotherapist nurse by profession and has studied Ayurvedic medicine in Sri Lanka. Talking of a future, Kumuduni said that she wanted to bring more glory to the country.