Keerthi Sri Jayasekara athlete, volleyball player and coach par excellence
 Keerthi Sri Jayasekara |
He was born on June 19 1964 and admitted to Dhammissara National School Nattandiya to grade six in 1975 . During this period Dhammissara was popular in Volleyball. Keerthi’s mother Mary Perera who is a native of Weerakoddiyana Bingiriya used to take her son to Bingiriya during the holidays and his uncle Mr.Jansz encouraged him to take up to volleyball and in the meantime his elder brother Saliya Jayasekara too encouraged him and he commenced practices under their coach and Prefect of Games Somarathne Peiris.
He was selected as the Captain of the under 15 volleyball team and in his first year itself they won Divisional, Zonal and they were the Runner up at the District Tournament and in the following year too he led the team and they swept the board at the Divisional and Zonal and in the District Tournament they came second.
In 1980 he was appointed as the under 17 captain and they came up to District Level and lost to St.Joseph Vaz College and in the following year too he captained the team and the result was the same as the previous year.
He captained the under 19 team for two continuous years and in his first year after winning the lower tournaments they came second in Provincial and in the following year they were the All Island champions after defeating Pothupitiya Maha Vidyalaya Wadduwa.
In addition he did athletics and at the school inter house sports meets he excelled In 1979 he came fourth in discuss in the All Island Schools and in the Public Schools Meet he came fourth In the under 16 John Tarbet meet he was fourth and in the under 18 All Island Meet he came second in discuss and in 1982 after ‘A’ Levels he was given a training at the Maharagama Youth Services for two years and the coach was K.A.K.Wijepala.
Then in 1981 at the Rupavahini Tournament representing his club he was adjudged as the Best player and in the Nationals in 1983 they came second and with all these deeds under his belt in 1984 he was selected for Russian and Japanese teams tours of Sri Lanka in 1984 and he became the first ever Old Boy from Dhammissara to represent his alma mater and later Mahela Indiwara became the first ever player to represent Sri Lanka whilst he was in school and for the Japan game his brother Channa Jayasekara too took part. In 1985 he made a tour to Lithuania with the Sri Lanka Team.
He was selected as a Physical Training Instructor and from 1985 to 1990 their team won the Tournaments organized by Education Department. 1986 to 1995 he was at St.Xaviers College and he was the prefect of games and Volleyball coach.
He was transferred to Dhammissara in 2006 and to date he is the prefect of games and volleyball coach For his sports career Sunil Jayaweera, Rev.Fr.Marius and Rev.Fr.Justin helped him in many ways. His wife Sureshni Jayaweera is a tower of strength to him at all times.