Dunil Wasantha - from soccer to weightlifting

Text and Pix by Upananda JAYASUNDERA - Kandy Sports Special Corr

Weightlifting coach Dunil Wasantha - an old boy of Rohana Maha Vidyalaya, Matara has turned out to be a outstanding soccer player and a weightlifter.

He first started as a soccer player representing Anura Sports Club, Matara as a centre forward and helped his team become champions of Matara District for seven years in successive years since 1973. He had the good fortune of seeing two of his club mates - L. Kulasiri and V. Newton represent Sri Lanka in later years.

When Wasantha left Matara and came to Kandy in 1980 to help a relative of his in the hotel industry, he joined the YMCA, Kandy and that started his interest in weightlifting.

He became a National Champion from 1982 to 1984, with his weight category being 56 k.g. and one of his Contemporaries was S.M. de Silva who represented Sri Lanka in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.

There was also Gamini Gunathilake - former National Champion and M. Mohideen - another former National Champion.

Wasantha had the opportunity of following weightlifting courses under a Bulgarian Coach Passock for six months in 1982, then under a Russian Coach Alexander Alexco for six months in 1983 and was also under Japanese Coach Mickie too. All these courses were conducted at the YMCA, Kandy.

After learning the finer points, he took up coaching himself at the YMCA, Kandy in 1984 and one of his pupils Gamini Weeraratne shot to fame and won a Silver Medal at the Fifth SAF Games held in Dacca, Bangladesh.

Presently Dunil Wasantha is the Manager of the Fitness Centre run by the Devon Group of Companies and he is the Weightlifting Coach.