Pistol shooter Dinesh Suranga Fernando does Cambrians proud
A Pistol Shooter who has represented Sri Lanka in 15 overseas tours and holder of National and Sri Lanka 13 records senior cadet, scout and shooting coach at his Alma Mater Thanthulage Dinesh Suranga Fernando has brought honour and immense glory to his school Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa and MAS Holdings and his motherland with his deeds in the field of Pistol Shooting.
Suranga was born on 28th January 1986 and hails from Rawatawatte, Moratuwa and he was initialy admitted to Methodist School Rawatawatte in 1991 and his first class teacher was Mrs. Amitha. Whilst at his school he did Scouting and in 1995 he was a Team Leader and he passed the Grade FIve Scholarship Examination with flying colours he was drafted to Prince of Wales’ College when Lakshman Gomes was at the helm of the school. He participated in under 13 inter house tournaments in cricket and basketball in the under 13 category when he was in the under 13 school cricket pool too. As a Senior Cadet he attended Rantambe Camp and at the Inter Batalion Meet he was the Best Shooter
In the mean time his father Manjula Fernando an Old Cambrian and Sri Lanka Army Engineering Regiment and Cambrian Shooting Coach and his mother Chandani Gunathilake encouraged their son to continue with shooting.
Suranga’s first attempt was in Pakistan where seven countries participated and it was South Asian Shooting Championship in 2000 and competing in the under 21 age group as a 14 year youth competitor he won a Gold Medal for 10 metre Air Pistol and he recorded the highest points also in this event. Then in 2001 at the Open National Meet participating in three events under 21 ten metre 25 and 50 Air Pistol Shooting he won four Golds and up to 2006 he was the Junior Category Champion and in the senior too and in the same event he won medals.
Same year he represented the Commonwealth Games in England in four vents and as an under 16 youth he participated in the senior category and he got the Personal Best Score and in 2003, 2004 and 2005 he was the Junior National Champion and in 2005 he participated in the Junior Invitation Tournament held in Germany and he got the Personal Best Score. Then in 2006 as a Junior he took part for the Asian Games held in Sri Lanka and won a Bronze Medal and in 2007 he won all four medals and in 2010 at the South Asian Games in the team events they won three Bronzes and he won one individual Gold Medal in 2012 at the meet and he was the Champion from 2012 to 2022 and there too he was the National Champion. He participated in the Commonwealth Games in Scotland and became 10th and in the same meet in Australia in 2018 he grabbed the ninth place and again in 2017 in Australia he came 7th. Then in 2016 at the South Asian Games in India in the team events they got two Bronzes and in 2019 at the SAF Games in Nepal the team won a Bronze and he won a Silver Medal. In the Air Gun Championship he was the Sri lanka
Champion and at the Sri Lanka Navy Tournament too held in 2022 he broke his own record of 10 metre Air Pistol Mens’ Event and was the Champion. In 2015 he participated in the World Shooting Championship in Azar Bijan and in 2017 represented in the Qatar Games and in 2017 participated in the Asian Shooting Championship to qualify for Olympics. He took part in the India Asian Championship in 2015, 2016 and 2018 and during this period for two World Cup Meets. He was serving in the MAS Holdings and presently studying for a Sports Degree and he was the school Shooting Captain in 2015 and he is coaching Prince of Wales’ College Shooters and in 2021 they have won events with two records.