'My ambition is to specialise in Sports Medicine' - Duminduni Yashoda

by Priyan de Silva, Matara Sports Corr.

"My ambition is to specialise in sports medicine so that I can enlighten athletes from the villages of the correct techniques which would minimise sports related injuries. I decided on my carrier when we visited Udyagiri Vidyalaya a remote school in Uhana, Ampara district and witnessed the difficulties faced by athletes there", said Hewa Angapullige Duminduni Yashoda a Grade 13 student of Sujatha Girls School, Matara. Yashoda received the Youth Top 20 award for the Excellent School Scholar presented by the National Youth Services Council recently. 18-year-old Yasodha is the eldest daughter of A.G. Hewage a Chemistry Teacher at Telijjawila Central College and Sandya Samarawickrema - a Physical Training Instructress at Vijitha Central College, Dikwella.

Dumindunui has been a student at Sujatha Girls School, Matara from Grade 1. Although her parents were teachers, she was never forced to stick to studies and had been given a free hand to engage in extra-curricular activities at her will. And probably that is why she has excelled in painting, music, athletics, netball, volleyball, basketball and is a promising cricketer, as well, who has caught the eye of talent scouts from Sri Lanka Cricket. The enterprising girl Yashoda learnt the fine arts of painting from Marina Kushani of the Tikiri Arts Foundation and won first place in the poster competition organised by the Department of Marine Life in 2009 and the National Art Competition organised by the NYSCO in 2011. She hopes to hold an exhibition of her paintings early next year after her Advanced Level Examinations. Yasodha's her mother is a Physical Training Instructress and father a Volleyball Coach of repute. She was never discouraged from spending her time on the field. Yasodha has represented her school in Basketball, Netball and Volleyball in all age groups. She was the Vice Captain of the Sri Lanka Schools Netball Team that participated at the USM Pesta Bola Tournament held in Penang, Malaysia in 2011 and a member of the Sri Lanka Schools Netball Team that toured Australia in 2012. She was appointed Games Captain of her school in 2012. Yasodha obtained 120 marks at the Grade 5 Scholarship exam (the pass mark was 131 that year), but she excelled at the GCE O/L obtaining eight A's and a C. She will be sitting the GCE A/L examination this year.