[Punch - Sports]

Young Achiever

Vettel

F1’s youngest champion

Germany’s Sebastian Vettel sobbed with joy after becoming Formula One’s youngest world champion with a pole to flag victory in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old Red Bull driver lapped up the pressure under the Yas Marina floodlights to chalk up his fifth win of the season while Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, the pre-race favourite for a third title, struggled home seventh. Vettel, adding the drivers’ crown to the constructors’ championship won the previous weekend in Brazil, ended up with 256 points to Alonso’s 252 after winning in Abu Dhabi for the second year in a row.

The youngster had started the day 15 points behind the Ferrari driver, with much of the build-up dominated by speculation about whether he would allow Australian team mate Mark Webber pass him for the title. In the end, Webber finished eighth and was third overall. “Thank you boys, unbelievable,” gasped Vettel over the team radio, the tears flowing behind the visor after he took the chequered flag.3

Trevor Bayne:

Wins Nascars first race at 20

Trevor Bayne has become the youngest winner in the history of the Daytona 500, winning a Nascar race only a day after his 20th birthday. He was so excited and so inexperienced that he could hardly find his way to victory lane after coming off the track. The record previously belonged to Jeff Gordon, who won Daytona at 25. It was only Bayne’s second Sprint Series start of his career and the Wood Brothers team he was driving for hadn’t won a Daytona 500 since the 70s.

Despite the win, it seems as if Bayne will not decide to move up from the Nationwide Series to race for the Sprint Cup. He had only planned on running 17 races at that level, none for points and would not be considered for Rookie of the Year.

As Bayne cruised to the lead, he was surprised by the lack of a challenge that was presented. Drivers behind him included Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin and Kurt Bush, none of whom have ever won the Daytona 500.

Chaminda:

Runner Par Excellence

Anushka Withanage

He is Sri Lanka’s long distance king, reigning supreme in the 1,500 metres. Chaminda Indika Wijekoon made his presence felt when he became the first athlete to strike gold in the 1,500 m event at the recent 11th South Asian Games held in Bangaladesh. In fact, the games was significant for Wijekoon who had the honour of leading his country as the captain of the Sri Lankan contingent.

Chaminda launched his career as a long distance runner and made an early impact in the road races mainly the 10,000 and 5,000 metres events. But after a couple of years he took a bold decision and switched to the more glamorous 1,500 metres with the intention of further enhancing his career prospects.

At age 29, this ex student of Dikkapitiya Vidayalaya and Welimada Central College has come a long way, spreading his superiority winning all the national athletic meet events in his category.

What is notable about Wijekoon’s career is that he had to stop competing in athletics for a short period and again relaunched his career after joining Lanka Lions Sports Club in 1998.

He first came into the limelight when he powered his way to win the Lanka Lions open road race in the same year.

Thereafter, he was able to meet veteran athletic coach, the late Brigadier Parry Liyanage who completely changed his path and laid the platform for a successful career. In fact it was on the directives of Brigadier Liyanage that Wijekoon decided to switch to the 1500 metres event. This decision has certainly worked well and has produced considerable results.

The major events he has won are the World Junior Championships, SAF Games, Asian Championships, Asian Grand Prix, Lusufonia Games Landmarks: Silver medal (Asian Championships), Silver medal (South Asian Games Pakistan), Silver medal (South Asian Games Colombo), Gold medal (Lusufonia Games 2006), Gold medal Lusufonia Games 2009 and Gold medal SAFF Games in 2010.

Brigadier Liyanage, realizing the fact that Wijekoon had the potential to become a top athlete, did not hesitate to provide all the assistance including accommodation at his residence and all other facilities required at the early stage of his career.

Without stopping there Brigadier Liyanage also made certain that Wijekoon found employment in the Sri Lanka Army which has been providing him great support since. He first went through the basics of athletics under the guidance of his school coach Sisira Kumara and also came under the supervision of Gunasiri Dissanayake and S P Kulatunga.

He is currently training under Sri Lanka Army coach Major Lal Jayasekera.

Chaminda is now following a training stint in Kenya under the supervision of Joseph Gooray and Jimmy Beutizimba. In fact, the coaching program in Kenya has completely changed his training system and the preparations have made him more competitive and strong both physically and mentally.

The Kenyan experience is expected to go a long way in Chaminda’s career.

For, it would help the Lankan athlete take a leaf from the world famous Kenyan runners. Chaminda’s ambition is of course, to participate in the 2012 Olympic Games in England.