What's the sport for Chalanaka - athletics or cricket?

by Priyan DE SILVA - Matara Sports Corr.

ATHLETICS: "Although I could not win a medal for Sri Lanka at either the World Youth Games or at the Commonwealth Youth Games, I will go for the Gold at the Asian Junior Championships next year to be held in Sri Lanka." So said Chalanaka Priyanath Weerasingha - the current record-holder for Javelin Throw under-17 in Sri Lanka.

A student of Vijitha Central College, Dickwella, Chalanaka, is under the able guidance of coach K.H. Keerthi Kumara who is currently attached to the Department of Physical Education of the University of Ruhuna.

Coach Keerthi Kumara served as a Physical Training Instructor for 20 years prior to taking up the present assignment. Earlier Olympian Majula Kumara Wijesekera was coached by Keerthi.

Chalanaka Priyantha Weerasingha has been changing his events from time to time. In 2004, coach Keerthi Kumara spotted him as a 10-year-old and got him to High Jump and Long Jump, but in 2006 Chalanaka took to throwing the javelin, in 2007 he took first place in high jump, second in javelin and third in long-jump at the Southern Province Schools Athletic Championship.

It was a jumble of events and in 2008 Chalanaka won the high jump event for under-16 with victory in the javelin event too at the Sri Lanka Schools Athletic Championships and repeated his success in javelin at the National Schools Athletics Meet the same year.

Came 2010, he was very much attached to javelin event and won at the Junior Nationals and one year later - that's 2011, saw Chalanaka establishing a record in the javelin event with a distance of 64.10 metres at the Junior Nationals.

However, Chalanaka Weerasingha is caught up in a tangle,not knowing which sports he is to pursue for the future athletics or cricket? At cricket, he has been picked to follow specialised training to become a fast bowler and coaches Anusha Samaranayake and Prabath Nissanka are in a quandary as to which sports Chalanaka Weerasinghe going to pursue.