White, Handunge and Rosa brought honour to Kandy and Sri Lanka

By Hafiz MARIKAR

KANDY'S SPORTING 'GREATS:' Unearthing some interesting facts about past heros of sports from Kandy came into my mind with the XXXVI National Sports Festival being held in Kandy, and today being the second day where the country's top sportsmen and women are in action.

The unique feature at this junction is to recognise Kandy's top sportsmen in boxing and athletics.

To stage, the show over here in Kandy, Sports Minister C.B. Ratnayake, with the backing of President Mahinda Rajapaksa did his best to put Bogambara Stadium in order, which badly needed, a refurbishings.

Now everything is cleared and Bogambara is fit for sports, a big bouquet to the Sports Minister from Kandy's sporting fraternity.

DUNCAN WHITE: In the 1948, Wembley Olympic 400 metres Hurdles, the most colourful of all track events, there was an obscure youth from a little known island. The stands swelled with cheering spectators, cameras whirred and the air hummed with the voice of famous commentators of the finalists line up.

The loud-speakers blared their names: Two Americans confident of winning, a dour Swede, a swarthy Italian. Then the announcer said "Duncan White" of Ceylon. What notice did anyone take of the lanky youth in the sixth lane?

The pistol 'cracked' and the athletes went flat out like greyhounds. The blonde American sped strongly, the Swede also did same, and so did the man from "somewhere". At the penultimate hurdle his youth, build and self-confidence saw the American gaining.

But now Duncan White made his super effort, the moment he had been waiting for. Big of heart and with the determination written all over his face he flashed fast ahead of the Swede to take second place. Thus were Kandy and Ceylon engraved on the sports map of the world.

In 1937, Trinity College perhaps the best schoolboys cricketing side of that year, were practising. One afternoon Duncan was training on the school grounds at Asgiriya for the AAA meet. He was encroaching on to the lst XI cricket practising area at Asgiriya. White had a practice 100 yards sprint and it was something so magnificent that the whole cricket training squad stopped and watched and cheered the grand sprinter Supple limbs and the fighting heart of a champion and perfect athlete.

Like Johnny Weismuller or any succeeding Tarzan, Duncan, it appeared, was a irresponsible youngster. There is the story that while waiting for an interview to join the Ceylon Police Force! Duncan found time hanging on his hands. A little later one of the selectors heard a complaint that some people from the police barracks had plucked young coconuts from an adjoining garden.

The culprit was found to be White! He had seldom taken up to studies seriously. But when training for a meet all others were unimportant. White trained with determination to win.

At Trinity Duncan White won his 'Lion' in Athletics. He captained the athletic team. He was also a ruggerite of repute as rugby in the lives of all students at Trinity.

He broke the Public Schools 220 yards record and won the 120 yards hurdles event and long jump. He also established a 440 yards record and was selected to participate at first Empire Games held in Australia in 1938. He was national champion for many years in the following events - 120 yards hurdles, 440 yards hurdles and 400 metres hurdles.

White led the first Ceylon Olympic team to London in 1948 and won the Silver Medal in 400 meters hurdles, the first and only Ceylonese to win a Olympic Medal at that time. He won the 440 yards hurdles at the first Indo-Ceylon contest, smashing the Indian record. He became the British and Irish Universities 440 yards hurdles champion and record holder while at Loughborough College, UK. He also captained the Ceylon team to Commonwealth Games in New Zealand and took the Gold Medal in 440 yards hurdles with a new record.

Duncan White was awarded the MBE for his contribution to sports, The first sportsman in Ceylon to be thus honoured. He was selected Sportsman of the Year by public polls.

He obtained the Diploma in Physical Education of Loughborough College, UK in 1951 and was appointed Ceylon's National Athletics Coach in 1958. He left Ceylon subsequently to take up an appointment as Director of Athletics at University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

LESLIE HANDUNGE: One time Director of Physical Education of the Peradeniya University, is the second son of Kandy to blaze the Olympic trail. He represented Ceylon at the 1948 Olympic Games and was the first Ceylonese to enter an Olympic ring and win an Olympic bout. He led the Ceylon team to the 1952 Olympic Games.

Handunge had his graduation at Trinity College in four major games - Cricket, Boxing, Rugger and Athletics, and after leaving school, he played inter-club hockey, football and rugger for Kandy Sports Club and Kandy YMCA.

Late Handunge was a Diploma holder in Physical Education of Loughborough College, UK. He was the first Ceylonese to obtain this Diploma and obtained his Master's Degree in Physical Education from Springfield, USA. He had to work his way through at both these institutions.

He won his first National Title in 1944, the Flyweight category. He won the Best Boxer's Award at the Intermediate, Meet. Albert Perera Farewell Meet and National Championships. He represented the University of Ceylon at boxing and rugger and was the British and Irish University Bantamweight champion boxer while at Loughbrough College. Handunge was invited by the ABA of Ceylon to participate in the final boxing trial for the 1950 Empire Games, but was unable to leave for England. He retired as undefeated Flyweight Boxing Champion of Ceylon in 1952.

S.L.B ROSA:

When he was picked for the Munich Olympics, he became the third son of Kandy to represent Ceylon.

He was an athlete and was best in the 10,000 metres and the marathon. The big-hearted village boy from Ampitya, had his education at St. Berreaweart's College. When participated in this Olympics the talk in Kandy was will he run barefooted or will he wear spikes? Rosa's individualism brings to mind the grand recollection stamped on the Olympic stage by a compatriot predecessor R.J.

Rosa's rise to fame has been meteoric. Product of one of the humbler

Roman Catholic Schools in Kandy, it was only after joining the Army as a Sapper that he began to show up as an athlete.

All the reputed long distance runners at the time were from Ampitiya, and for a time they were his seniors. But serious training and dedication established him in good time as our foremost long distance runner.

Born to a humble family, Rosa had to work hard towards his success. He was born stricken by a dangerous virus ailments, but when parents and doctors pulled him through, he 'lost' his father, a railway worker when he (Rosa) was barely four years old. But the widowed mother took great pain to groom her son Rosa to become an athlete of great talent.

Rosa was commonly seen running round the Kandy Lake. Then it was that Tommy Arthur, Ampitiya's athletic coach who took charge of Rosa for scheduled training.

Then enlisted in the 1st Field Regiment, Ceylon Engineers of the Army, which Rosa joined, Col. P. D. Ramanayake, a great sports promoter and his Commanding Officer took him in hand. Rosa started winning almost all major awards at AAA and Service Meets.

Later he left the Army for the Ceylon Transport Board which offered better employment prospects. He achieved his highest goal when he won the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at an Asian Games.

He established a new Asian Games Record for the 10,000 metres with a timing of 29 minutes - 55.6 seconds.

He won the 5,000, meters with a timing of 14 minutes. 32.2 seconds. His 10,000 meters timing was bettered by only five Olympic champions at that time.

The 6th Asian Games named him its "Golden Boy", and Kandy gave him a hero's welcome at a public reception on Bogambara ground.

KARUNARATNE: It was a record-breaking marathon and Karunaratne finished a great "last", but an admiring stadium stood up and cheered him to the echo.

He was of the essence of the spirit of in games-participation, not winning alone, the very essence of the cult of the Olympics' modern founder Baron Pierie de Coubertim. 'Karu', however, died a tragic death.

The above are some of the fascinating but lesser known stories for sports loving public to read about our past sportsmen from Kandy.