Twenty member Weightlifting squad for Commonwealth Championship

On Sep 23, 2021

Sri Lanka Weightlifting Federation (SLWF) is expected to field a 20-member squad for the Commonwealth Weightlifting championship and IWF World championship which is scheduled to be held from December 7 to 17 in Uzbekistan.Both Games were scheduled to be held in 2020 but postponed to this year due to Global pandemic.

As a result the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) decided to conduct the tournament in Uzbekistan Tashkent city in parallel to the IWF World Weightlifting Championships.

According to the National coach R.B Wickramasinghe ten men’s weight lifters from eight weight categories and ten women’s weight lifters from nine weight categories are included in this squad which has already started their training focussing on two major tournaments in December.

Chintana Vidhanage the Commonwealth gold medalist (62kg) in 2006 and silver medalist in 2010 from 89 kg is the most experienced weightlifter in this squad once again this time will compete in 89 kg weight class. Five weightlifters who won the medals from Commonwealth Games are included in this squad. They are Vidhanage, Indika Dissanayake (2018 silver), Sudesh Pieris (2014 silver) and two bronze medal winners of 2018 Chaturanga Lakmal and Hansani Gomes.

Dilanka Isuru Kumara won silver and bronze medal at the last Asian weight lifting Championship in Uzbekistan in 2020. In addition Sri Lankan weightlifters won two gold, eight silver and a bronze at the last South Asian Games in Kathmandu 2019.

Sri Lankan weight lifting squad for the Commonwealth weightlifting championship and world championship.

Men: Dilanka Isurukumara (Army), Thilanka Palangasinghe (Polonnaruwa), Chaturanga Lakmal (Army), Indika Dissanayake (Navy), Sudesh Peiris (Army), Chinthana Vidanage (Navy), Chanaka Peters (Navy), Saman Abeywickrema (Army) and Ushan Charuka (Navy) and Manoj Wijesinghe

(Women): Srimali Samarakoon, Hansani Gomes, Chamari Warnakulasuriya, Mohideen Umeira, N. S. Rajapaksa, ArshikaVijayabaskar, D. T. Guurugama, D. N. Sanjana, Chathurika Priyanthi and B. J. Haputhenna.

Sport Ministry grant money for elite pool

SLWF is also focussing on next year’s Commonwealth Games as well as Asian Games and they expected to win at least five medals from this 2020 two major Games. To focus on Asian Games and Commonwealth Games SLWF already formed 13 member elite pool which consist best performing lifters at the recent International events.

The Ministry of Sports have planned to grant a sum of Rs. 1,975,000 for the betterment of the Sri Lanka weightlifting elite pool under the directions of the National Sports Council (NSC).This is big boost for the weight lifters as well as coaches to get ready for the major events.

Therefore, the Ministry of Sports will grant these funds for the maintenance of 13 elite weightlifters and seven coaches for their monthly and nutrition allowances. Each competitor in this elite pool will receive a monthly allowance of Rs. 100,000 in addition to a monthly nutrition allowance of Rs. 25,000. In addition each coach will receive a monthly allowance of Rs. 50,000.

These incentives will be provided to the weightlifters while targeting the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England and the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China under the High-performance Sports Development Programme.

The weightlifting elite pool: (focus on Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in 2022)

Men: Dilanka Isurukumara (Army), Thilanka Palangasinghe (Polonnaruwa), Chaturanga Lakmal (Army), Indika Dissanayake (Navy), Sudesh Peiris (Army), Chinthana Vidanage (Navy), Chanaka Peters (Navy), Saman Abeywickrema (Army) and Ishan Charuka (Navy)

Women: Hansani Gomes (Air Force), Chamari Warnakulasuriya (Navy), Chathurika Priyanthi (Navy) and Nethmini Haputhenna (Polonnaruwa)

Coaches: R. B. Wickremasinghe, P. K. N. Dayan, G. H. N. Gamage, Rukshan Gunathilaka, Rajeewa Wanshapura, Upul Bandara and R. I. Indrakumara.