Thilaka happy with Brunei's performance
by Ranjan ANANDAPPA
Sri Lanka's double international in athletics and netball Thilaka
Jinadasa was more than satisfied with her team's performance at the
Asian Netball Championship concluded at the Sugathadasa Stadium, last
Friday.
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Thilaka Jinadasa giving instructions to a Brunei player |
The former Sri Lanka netball coach and player who is now the coach of
the Brunei national netball team was placed sixth after being ranked
10th in the championship taking part in the tournament for the first
time. Thilaka said that she achieved what she expected from her side and
hoped to go further to establish Brunei in the Asian netball arena.
Thilaka, after representing the country at athletics (100m hurdles)
at the Seoul, South Korean, Olympics in 1988, took to netball and fared
with distinction. In 1997 as the vice captain of the Sri Lanka national
netball team the side won the Asian Championship in Singapore.
She had the honour of being the first female athlete to represent the
country at an Olympic and the sole gold medal winner in the 1987 SAF
Games in athletics.
Commenting on Sri Lanka's performance in the final of the Asian
Netball Championship where they lost to Singapore in a close final,
Thilaka attributed the defeat for the blunders made in position play. If
not for those mistakes the Lankan lasses would have defeated their
opponents.
She pinpointed that the two most experienced player Gayathhri
Lankathileka should have played in her usual position as the centre
instead as the wing attack, and bringing in, the inexperienced Semini
Alwis replacing Sashika Samarasinghe as goal attack was also a minus
factor.
The World Netball Championships is scheduled to be held in Sydney,
Australia in 2015 and the next Asian Championship will be held in
Singapore in 2014. Only the winner and the runner-up of the Asian
Championship is eligible take part in the World Netball Championship in
the Asian region. Jinadasa is on a two year contract as the national
netball coach of Brunei and has not still decided of her future once the
contract is over.
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