Rural lass Sumudu in shock win over Nilmini

S M Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy Sports Correspondent

Rural lass thirty two year old P.K. Sumudu from the outskirts of the township of Katugama created one of the biggest upsets in recent times in the women’s boxing championship representing the Sri Lanka Army beat one of best hopefuls for an Olympic Medal Nilmini Jayasinghe of MAS Slimline Sports Club in the 60 kilogramme weight category at the Amateur Boxing Association’s Clifford Cup Boxing Championship held at the Linea Gymnasium, BOI at Pallekelle on Friday evening.

It was the semi-finals of the Light Weight Under 60 Kg category and the top favourite Nilmini Jayasinghe of MAS Slimline was pitted against the lanky P. K. Sumudu of the Army. Nilmini Jayasinghe now upgrading herself to the under 60kg category, hitherto was unbeaten in the local boxing championship and an excellent run in the under 51 Kg and under 54 Kg which brought her gold medals in the Russian International Invitation Boxing Tournament in 2009 and in the Vietnam-Sri Lanka Boxing duel in 2006 and had a world ranking of 18 in the AIBA.

She was also a Clifford Cup winner from 2006 onwards in the two lower weight category.

Stunned boxing fans saw the village girls groomed by the Army having a better reach and displaying better footwork calling the shots and the favourite Nilmini Jayasinghe floundering before being outpointed in a major upset.

Sumudu is a past student Kevaliyagala MMV, Matugama and took to boxing 12 years ago after joining the Army. She fought her way hard to the top. She has made four tours abroad with the Sri Lanka Womens boxing team.

She has won a silver medal and bronze medal against India on two separate meets and also bronze against India.

She has two more years of boxing in her and it is left to be seen whether she could continue her fine form.