Athlete Hasini Bandara does National School, Dambulla proud

Hasini Bandara

Up and coming Sixteen year old school under 13, 14, 15 and 16 champion, Divisional and Zonal champion, All Island Athletic Colours holder and Provincial record holder Konde Gedara Hasini Kaushalya Bandara has brought honour and glory to her two schools Kalagehela Primary School Kalundewa, Dambulla and National School, Dambulla. with her deeds on the athletic field.

Hasini was born on 7th July 2005 in a remote village of Kalundewa about thirteen kilometres from Dambulla and she was admitted to her first school in 2011 . From grade one to five there were no sports activities in that school and in 2016 she was admitted to National School, Dambulla. Her parents Priyanga Sampath Bandara and Dilani Chamila Kumari realizing that their daughter’s forte is athletics handed over her to the school athletic coach M Pradeep and later she came under the school coach and Master in Charge of Sports Madushanka Ratnayake and the two teachers Mrs.Nimesha Liyanage and Miss.Shehani Senaratne.

After strenuous training her first attempt was the 2017 inter house school athletic meet and she became the champion athlete by sweeping the board in High Jump, 80 metre hurdles and 100 metres and participating at the Galewela Zonal Education Meet she repeated the same performances and became the Zonal champion and at the District Meet she won the hurdles and High Jump and came second in 200 metres and her school team were third in 4 x 100 metre relay event and at the Provincial Meet she won the 100 metres and Hurdles and 4 x 100 relay event they came second. She took part in the John Tarbet and clocked 14.6 seconds at the 80 metre hurdles and received all island athletic colours and in the High Jump too she came among Best Ten and received colours.

Then in 2018 at the All Island Meet Hasini ended up among the Best Ten in High Jump and Best Eight in hurdles. In the school sports meet she became the under 14 champion and at the divisional meet she came first in High Jump and hurdles and became second in 200 metres and once again at the Zonal meet she became champion by winning High Jump, Hurdles and 100 metres and at the Provincial she was second in hurdles and in High Jump and equalled the record timing and at the John Tarbet she received colours for her three pet events.

In 2019 too Hasini became the school under 16 champion and in the Zonal meet too she became as the champion for the third successive year and in the Provincial she came first in High Jump, second in 200 and in the same year at the John Tarbet she received under 16 colours for Hurdles, High Jump and 100 metres and in the All Island meet she came among the Best eight in hurdles and High Jump. She is well supported by her relatives and the school Principal Ranjith Dissanayake.