Thamara - a good example for women athletes

Text & pic by Upananda JAYASUNDERA - Kandy Sports Special Corr.

Thamara Padmini

ATHLETICS: In Kandy there is a lady - Thamara Padmini Wickremasinghe, who is a fine example for all young girls to follow.

Thamara as she is affectionately known, is attached to Mahamaya Girls College, Kandy and at the recent All-Island Teachers Track and Field Meet held at the Duraiappa Stadium in Jaffna, she won three events -- 800 metres, Triple Jump and High Jump events.

From her early years, she has been attached to athletics and she became the first winner of the Women's Marathon in 1982 and with that win to push her forward, she represented Sri Lanka in the marathon held in Singapore in 1985 and it spurred her on in athletics. She has won the 800 metres and 1,500 metre races for three consecutive years at the National Games and then she won the 1,500 metres, 3,000 metres and 5,000 metre races at the Veterans Athletic Meet held in Malaysia in 1997 and in Japan in 1998.

At the Jaffna meet, Thamara helped Kandy District Teachers to be runners-up in the team championship while Jaffna became the champions and Western Province came in third.