Tamara Padmini was a top class athlete

On Jul 23, 2021

Tamara Padmini Wickremasinghe, who was attached to the Pushpadana Balika Girls School,Kandy as a Physical Training Instructor was a top class Athlete who was an old girl of Alawwa Central College and from her younger days she was involved in athletics and she has won the Womens’ first Marathon Race in the year 1982 recording a timing of three hours 21 minutes in a 26 mile 385 yards distance.

Before coming to Pushpadana she was the PTI of Mahamaya Girls School,Kandy and she represented Sri Lanka in a Marathon held in Singapore in the year 1985 and on the track she won the 800 and 1500 metres races for three consecutive years at the National games. To cap it all she was awarded the Best Womens’ performance award in all three years and Tamara won the 1500, 3000 and 5000 metre events representing Sri Lanka at the Veteran Athletic Meet of 35 years age group held in Malaysia in 1997 and in Japan in 1998

It was her natural talent which kept her going-on in athletics during her competitive days as there were no sports training in her school Alawwa Central.

After leaving School she joined the Department of Education and she joined Mahamaya Girls School,Kandy as a Physical Training Instructor and she was able to bring out Champion Athletes from the year 1992 to 2000 at the Provincial level.

She was attached to Mahamaya for 20 long years and one of her best products was Shalika Ranasinghe who represented Sri Lanka at several International Meets.

During her training period Tamara was instrumental in producing individual athletes who gained much from her coaching and one of them was a member of the Sri Lanka Women’s 4 x 400 metres Relay team who participated at the Olympic Games in the year 2000.

After her service at Mahamaya Tamara got a transfer to Pushpadana Girls’ School and she started producing talented Athletes in that School too for more than eight years. She has not lost her touch in athletics as she has participated at the Teachers’ Sports meets every year since 2000.

At present she is running an Athletic Academy in Kandy for athletes and her future intention is to produce outstanding athletes to represent Sri Lanka at Olympics and she will continue training the athletes as long as she is fit to do so.