Kaveesha a promising athlete

Sixteen-year-old, Kaveesha Nethmina Bandara, a student of Dharmaraja College, Kandy is a talented athlete coached by Chandana Abeyratne, veteran athletic coach attached to the school. He started athletics in 2017 and won the second place in under-14 age category 4 x 100 Relay with the other members, Adeesha Senaratne, Dinuka Weerasinghe and Methmika Dissanayake with a timing of 54.5 secs, in their inter school annual Sports Meet.

At the under 14 Provincial Athletic Meet too his team came second with a timing of 54.2 secs, and at the Sir John Tarbet Athletic Championship too they won second place in 4 x 100 Metres relay with a timing of 53.2 secs. In the All Island Meet at the same relay event they clocked 51.6 secs and received a merit certificate.

In Kaveesha’s individual races he was placed second at the Kandy District Athletic Championship in the Under 14 – 80 Metres race with a timing of 10.7 secs, and at the same Meet in the 100 Metres he clocked a timing of 13.2 secds and in the Under 14 District Athletic Meet in Long Jump he received a merit certificate.

At the Under 15 All Island Athletic Championship he secured the second place at the 80 Metres and 100 Metres races and received Merit awards. At the Kandy District Meet in the 800 Metres he was placed third and in the 400M race he became third with a timing of 55.4 secds. In 2019 at the Police Sports Meet his relay team secured the first place in the 4 x 200 Metres Relay and again in the same year at the Inter House Sports meet Kaveesha secured the first place in the 800 Metres race and in the 400 Metres at the same meet representing ‘Mahinda House’ he secured the third place. In 2020 at the Annual Inter House Sports Meet he went onto win both 800 and 400 Metres.

At the all Island 10 Kilometres race he secured the second place and In 2021 at the Central Province Junior Athletic Meet secured the third place in 800 Metres race.

Kaveesha’s intention is to represent the country in athletics by becoming an international level athlete and he is intending to become a software engineer in future.

He is thankful to his athletic coach, Chandana Abeyratne for the encouragement given to him.