Manju one punch from gold

Chinthana Wasala reporting from New Delhi

He kept his promise, and almost knocked his opponent down, fought with confidence and he is hungry for more. Sri Lanka’s Boxing sensation Manju Wanniarachchi is just one punch away from the first gold medal for Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Games history after he beat Botswana’s Tirafalo Seoko when the referee stopped the contest in first minute of just the second round.

Wanniarachchi was leading 5-0 when the bout was stopped, just after Seoko got up after a terrific punch landed by the Lankan pugilist.

Tomorrow will be a memorable day in the history of Sri Lanka boxing when Wanniarachchi faces his tough opponent from Wales, Sean Mc Goldrick in the Bantam Weight (56kg) category final at the Tal Katora Indoor Stadium at 3.30 p.m.

Wanniarachchi had the match in his favor right from the start and left no room for Seoko to score. Seoko who stepped into the ring after defeating Namibia’s Sakeria Lucas on Synday, failed to impress against the much stronger attack from Wanniarachchi.

The Lankan had defeated the Kenyan 6-2 in the Commonwealth Games qualifiers in March this year and was confident taking on his known opponent. But on the other hand, Seoko did not seen to have learnt from his defeat at the qualifiers, which made easier for Wanniarachchi to excel.

Wanniarachchi looked much stronger than he was on Sunday and the way he is going, he would defeat any opponent. His punches were stronger, he was quicker and most of all, he was confident from the beginning.

The bout lasted only 3 minutes and 48 seconds. Manju had scored five points. Three in the first round and two in 48 seconds of the second round. It was very hard for Seoko to even to stand up after taking fierce punches from Wanniarachchi.

Seoko was knocked down once and seconds after he got up, referee gave the signal, assuring a place for a Sri Lankan in a boxing final of Commonwealth Games after a lapse of 60 years.

“I worked hard for a really long period and this time I did not come here to lose. With the help of my coach Harsha Kumara, the Cuban coach and team manager Dian Gomes, I have come a long way and I will never turn back now. I have studied my opponent and I am confident of winning the gold,” said Wanniarachchi.

In the other semi-final of the 56 Kilogram weight category, Wales’ Sean Mc Goldrick defeated Mauritius’ Louise Julie 2-1 and secured his place in tomorrow’s final.

The 18 year old Welsh boxer who is a former WABA youth champion, silver medalist at the GB Championships and the WABA senior bantamweight champion, is the youngest competitor in the bantam weight class.

If Wanniarachchi wins tomorrow, it will be the first time in 78 years that Sri Lanka has won a gold medal in boxing the Commonwealth Games history.