Dhammika - first woman weightlifter to win a Gold at International event

S M Jiffrey Abdeen Kandy sports Corr

It was the year 2004 and a strongly built girl just out of school and still in her teens was looking for employment in some sports organisation and she found one at the Kandy Young Mens Christian Association and eight years later she was to create history by becoming the first woman weightlifter to win a gold medal at an international championship. She is Dhammika Harischandra of Manikhinna now representing the Sri Lanka Air Force.

Well built Dhammika Harischandra is a past pupil of Hurikaduwa Balika Maha Vidyalaya in Menikhinna a village about 15 kilometres from Kandy. At school a sort of a 'tom boy' played cricket, elle, netball, volleyball and in athletics did the Putt Shot and the discus and crowned everything by becoming the head prefect of the school.

She had a little training in weightlifting at the Kandy YMCA in 2003 under coach Athula Wijewickrema and the Kandy YMCA having officials of the calibre like Pastor Donald Fernando, Laxman Fernando, S A Wijewickrema, David Edirisinghe, Nihal Wimalasuriya, Russel Ebert and others found her highly talented and decided to create a vacancy and retain her for the future. She was provided with employment so that she could continue her weightlifting.

She started her weightlifting competing in the 69 kilogramme body weight class in 2004 and was the junior national champion. Since then she has been winning her class and creating new records first at the junior championship and continued to win at senior national weightlifting championships with great success.

Her coach Athula Wijewickrema speaking of her said that she was dedicated and trained hard and was very selective of good and there was no doubt that she will make the grade.

Dhammika Harischandra said from her younger days, she had a liking for sports and made use of the sports facilities available at her school. Like any village girl she also helped her mother in her household chores.

She related two incidents she encountered on the road and this was a common occurrence and the only difference was that she did not take things lying down and had to teach her detractors a lesson of their lives. Being a comely lass, she had problems on the road as many passed unwanted remarks at her. At first she ignored them and later decided to take them head on.

One day she was waiting for a bus at the Menikhinna bus stand. A young man slightly tipsy approached and made an indecent suggestion. This was the limit and swung her fists at him and bleeding he lay prostrate on the ground. Those present intervened and saved him from a severe mauling. His wife who rushed to the spot too wanted to teach him a lesson but Dhammika pleaded with her and saved his marriage.

Another was she was returning from Colombo with some of the weightlifters of the YMCA after a meet. They stopped at Warakapola for tea. Since the hotel was crowded and being the only girl, her coach Athula Wijewickrema requested her to remain outside, so that he could bring her a drink. Seconds after this seeing her alone a youth tried to get fresh with her and that was it. She let go and sparks flew and the young man was on the ground and a big crowd had collected. Her coach seeing the commotion went to see what it was all about and he was shocked to see a man fallen down and Dhammika about to deliver the knock out punch. He took her to a side and the man had to be revived with a sprinkling of water.

Dhammika Harischandra's first experience abroad was when she won a gold medal at the Ladies Invitation weightlifting championship organised by the Pakistan Railways in Lahore two years ago.

Then came last week's South Asian Womens weightlifting Championship held in Kathmandu, Nepal where competing in the under 75 kilogramme category she snatched 70 kilogrammes and later clean and jerked 88 kilogrammes, to make a total of 155 kilogrammes. She also in the process broke two Sri Lanka national records in clean and jerk and the total and both were held by her.

She said that she is targetting to win a medal at the next Commonwealth Games and could also make it to the Commonwealth Games. Being a heavy weight, the qualifying standards are very high but she is determined to achieve them. She still trains at the Kandy YMCA and the Sri Lanka Air Force has provided her with employment and she is grateful to them and this has helped her to continue her weightlifting in a bigger way. She was all praise to her coach Athula Wijewickrema who had taught her the sport and also to S A Wijewickrema who is the Consultant coach.

In Dhammika Harischandra, Sri Lanka has a medal winning prospect at the Commonwealth Games.