Dhammika wins a gold in weightlifting

S M Jiffrey ABDEEN, Kandy Sports Correspondent

Twenty-seven-year-old Dhammika Harischandra from the little village of Menikhinna in the outskirts of Kandy entered her name into the record books when she became the first Sri Lankan woman weightlifter to win a gold medal at an international championship by achieving this feat at the Seventh Asian Weightlifting Championship held in Kathmandu, Nepal this week.

Well built Dhammika Harishchandra is a product of Kandy YMCA and now represents the Sri Lanka Air Force but continues to train at the YMCA under the guidance of her long-standing weightlifting coach Athula Wijewickrema.

Dhammika Harischandra competed in the 75 kg body weight category and made a clean sweep in all three lifts by winning golds.

She first snatched 88 kilogrammes and later cleared the jerked 70 kilogrammes to make a total lift of 158 kilogrammes.

She also lowered two existing Sri Lanka national records in the clean and jirk and the total to complete an exhilarating performance and bringing honour to Sri Lanka.

Another lifter from Kandy who won a gold was Sangeeth Wijesuriya who lifted for YMCA and now is with the Sri Lanka Army.

Competing in the 56 kg body weight category he snatched 100 kg, clear and jerked 132 kg to register a total of 232 kg, which brought him a gold.

Wijesuriya’s medal breakdown is golds in the clean and jerk and total and a silver in the snatch.

Romesh Samarasekera, another product of Kandy YMCA, won a silver medal at this championship.

He now represents the Sri Lanka Air Force.

He snatched 117 kgs, clean and jerked 152 kgs to make a total lift of 269 kgs in the 94 kg body weight category.

All the above lifters were trained by former national weight coach Athula Wijewickrema under the guidance of S A Wijewickrema jnr who is a legend of our times in this iron sport.

Dhammika Harischandra is a rural lass who has earned a name for herself in this sport through sheer performances.