Sprint king and queen on the fast track

K.G. Badra speaks about life with Sunil Gunewardane:

“One doesn’t have to be your own child to stretch a helping hand for them to come up in life,” believes K.G. Badra alias Badra Gunewardane, the first ever and unbeatable Queen Sprinter in 1970s.

“Sunil and I both love children. Though we don’t have children, we treat all the youngsters in the track field as our own,” says Badra beginning the conversation about her life with her beloved hubby, Sunil Gunewardane, King Sprinter in the same era.

Kahanda Gamage Badra was born on January 17 in Madawalamulla, Galle, to K.G. Francis Appuhamy, a leading businessman who was known as ‘King of Galle’ and Ciciliana Munasinghe as the youngest of five children.

Badra had her education first at Sangamitta Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Galle and entered Buddhist Ladies College, Colombo in Grade 6. “I was a Tom boy,” laughs Badra recalling her mischievous and splendid childhood.

Science was her favourite subject which she successfully did for her O/Ls. The active girl soon found out that her future lay on the sports track when she started becoming the athletic Champ at school meets as well as in the District level and then Island wide. Trixy Jayasooriya, Sports Mistress-in-Charge of Holy Family Convent who recognised her sports skills opened the gates at Holy Family for her.

“I eventually gave up my higher studies, but entered Holy Family Convent to follow a finishing Home Science course. The back up I got from there to enhance my sports skills was immense. Since then I have been with sports,” she smiles.

The running tracks she excelled in were 100m, 200m and 400m. Badra was the All Island Champion in the athletic meet in 1969. “I was qualified to represent Sri Lanka at the Thailand International Meet in all three sprints in the same year. But, since I was still a school girl, I was not given perks in National level... But, luckily my father was able to sponsor me, and I got my first exposure in an international meet,” reminisces Badra.

Badra was the only Spawned woman who could excel in this field and was the luckiest out of them all. She got a three months training course at Munich Sports University in 1970, which simultaneously laid a great training opportunity for her to take part in the Asian Games and Common Wealth Games in the same year. “I kept my best personal timing of 11.9 seconds at one of the training meets in Munich,” she recalls.

The Common Wealth Games she took part in also opened up the colossal doors of the Queen’s palace in Scotland for her. “Only one representative was invited from each country, and since I was the only one from Sri Lanka, I got that rare opportunity to dine with Queen Elizabeth II,” she recalls.

Badra kept her best timing; 100m in 11.9 seconds at a meet in Munich University, Germany in 1970, and 200m in 24.9 seconds and 400m in 56.8 seconds, both at Asian Games in 1971. All these three Sri Lankan records prevailed unbroken for 20 years.

Along with sports the time for Badra to think about her future was important. She got her first appointment at the CTB in 1971, on Sunil’s invitation. But, she thought she could render better service if she would accept the post offered to her at the Sports Ministry.

Badra joined the Sports Ministry in 1971 as a Sports Officer. She got her promotions one after the other as the Athletic Coach, Athletic Project Officer upto her present post as the Assistant Director rendering a ‘versatile’ service to the athletics in the country. She did her one-year Sports Diploma in Minz Sports University in Germany in 1986.

Badra, Sunil and S.L.B. Rosa were selected to take part at the pre-Olympics, affiliated with a six months training at the Munich Sports University in Germany in 1971. There she beat the Asian Games 400m Gold Medallist by breaking her record with her timing of 56.8 seconds.

1972 was the year Germany held its Olympics. Before the Games, again three athletics were invited to under go training at the Munich University. “People cannot enjoy the previledges they encounter all the time. That opportunity I had to give up as I was down with Hepatitis. W. Wimalasena went to Germany along with Sunil and Rosa that year,” she recalls.

Badra had no challenger as there was nobody to beat her speed in Sri Lanka. “So.... I eventually lost interest in it as I thought it’s time to leave the chance for the other up and coming buddies,” laughs Badra. Of course, that’s what she still does. Many national champions she made through the Ministry and also along with her hubby have put Sri Lanka in golden letters on the world sports map.

“Sunil and I both rose up in the sports field together. Both his and my brothers were best of friends. So, my brother, K.G. Karunasena who was right behind me backing me up in sports always expected Sunil to look after me.

Sunil was right behind me looking into my well being through out. We were good friends first, but eventually, I would say automatically fell for each other. And it ended up in marriage. I gave up athletics in 1974 and we got married on June 1, 1978,” reminisces Badra.

“Well, we had to wait for my father’s consent for 8 years as the difference in religion was between us. Sunil is a Roman Catholic and my father was the chief ‘Dayaka’ of our village temple. But, entered the wedded life under everybody’s shower of blessings,” she says.

Sunil Benedict Gunewardane was born on October 6, to Joseph Gunewardane, a landed proprietor and Harriot Gunewardane at Bandarawatta, Kaakkapalliya, Chilaw as the second of six in the family.

Sunil had his education at St. Mary’s College, Chilaw. Athletics was his craze as well. He became all Island champ in 1968, and simultaneously joined Badra in the trip to the Thailand meet. Sunil created history with his first record in 1968, by being the first Sri Lankan school boy who finished 100m event in less than 11 seconds......

His 100m school record of 10.9 seconds and 200m school record of 21.65 seconds prevailed unbreakable respectively for 32 years and 37 years.

His Sri Lankan records both in 100m (in 10.5 seconds) and 200m (in 21.7 seconds) he kept on his 21st birthday on October 6 in 1970. His 100m record was unbroken for 25 years.

He made the Asia’s fastest timing for 200m in 21.31 seconds at Munich Olympics in 1972 which prevailed for 18 years. He won the Gold Medal by finishing 4 x 400m in 3 minutes and 7 seconds at the Asian Games held in Teheran in 1974.

A two week’s course in Sprinting and Hurdles in Indonesia in 1987, a Sprinting and Hurdles course with British coach, Charles Taylor in UK in 1991 and a two week’s special course in Beijing with World Record holder Jackey Joiner and his coach in 2007 enhanced shed his knowledge in track events.

Sunil is too versatile a champ not only in the track field, but also in administration. He held the positions with Sri Lankan Athletic Team, as Coach to the Manager. He was Chef-De-Mission in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Sunil Gunewardane was the President of Sri Lanka Athletic Association and the Vice President of the National Olympic Committee in 2001.

The CTB was his first appointment where he continued as the Welfare Officer from 1970 to 1984. During the time when Minister S.B. Dissanayaka headed the Ministry of Sports which marked a golden era in Sri Lankan athletics, Sunil was the Co-ordinating Secretary rendering immense service to the country.

Sports was not the only field he could excel in, but also in other areas. Fresh milk available in the market was his

idea which he launched when he was the Deputy Chairman of the National Livestock Development Board in 2002-2004. Simultaneously he was the Working Director of the Fertilizer Corporation.

“He is a perfectionist,” says Badra. “And would complete each and every duty to the point. Also he is a very creative person. A well read writer and a speaker who can converse in any subject. He is a punctualist as well. He would do anything in no time. So quick! I’m of course, compared to him the opposite, and often get pulled up by him,” laughs Badra.

Question: What are the special qualities you see in him?

Badra: Short tempered, but could diminish his anger in no time, and also could win anybody at first glance. He eats little, but prefers good tasty stuff. He prefers to dress well and neat. Though he has plenty of friends at all levels, most of the time he spends his time with me. Sunil loves to help people. If somebody comes asking for his assistance, he would never say ‘no’. He loves his parents and looks after them well.

Question: Him as your husband?

Badra: I think I’m very lucky to have a husband like him. I’ve heard him saying to his friend that if he is to born again, it is me whom he will be marrying again (laughs). He is a caring husband.

Question: Future plans?

Badra: Sunil has made many national champs. Olympic champs Damayanthi Darsha, Rohan Pradeep Kumara, Mahesh Perera, Tania Wanhier and Ranga Wimalawansha; Common Wealth and Asian Games Champs Prasanna Amarasekara, Nayanthi Kumari, Ashoka Jayasundara, Rohitha Pushpakumara, Shivantha Weerasuriya, Pradeepa Herath and Sujani Buddhika are a few of whom he proudly acclaims as his own children.

At a count, there would be more than 1000 athletes (from outstation) whom he assisted in every aspect including economically and coaching for the past 40 years of his life. If he seeks out a clever athlete at school level he would go out of his way to stretch his hand to him/her to come up in life. That is Sunil. In order to extend his service, he is planning to start the first ever athletic academy in Sri Lanka, `The Sprint Academy’ next month.