Kandy TT players felicitated after medal-winning feats

by S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen

Seven paddlers from the Central Province, particularly from Schools in Kandy who brought honour to the country by winning medals at the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship 2015 held in New Delhi, India, were felicitated by the Kandy District Table Tennis Association (KDTTA) at a glittering ceremony held at the Jagath Rajapakse International Table tennis Stadium in Doluwa.

The paddlers who were felicitated were Udaya Ranasinghe (Vidyartha College), Prasad de Silva (Vidyartha College), Krishan Wickremaratne (Vidyartha College), Dinesh Kavishka (Vidyartha College), Disanka Tennakoon (Dharmaraja College), Ridmi Karadanarachchi (Mahamaya Girls College) and Thanushi Rodrigo (Mahamaya Girls College).

Sixteen year old Udaya Ranasinghe of Vidyartha College who is the reigning Junior and Senior National singles champion put up a sterling display to win a gold medal which is a rare achievement by a Sri Lankan.

Ranasinghe who is an extraordinarily talented player has just returned to the country after a stint of training overseas which has done him a world of good the results of which have been reflected in winning a gold medal. The way he is performing he is a good medal prospect at the SAF Games or even the Asian Games though he will be pitted against players from countries reputed for table tennis. The other players won silver medals. Four of these paddlers are from Vidyartha College and one from Dharmaraja College. Two girls from Mahamaya Girls College, 14 year old Thanushi Rodrigo and 18 year old Ridmi Karadanarachchi too netted in silver medals. Buddhika Dikkumbura is the present coach of Vidyartha and Mahamaya College and he could have the satisfaction that his charges had produced the results at an Asian event which is the dream of any coach.

The team was accompanied by Buddhika Dikkumbura as coach and Dilmini Direcksz as Manager.

Dilmini Direcksz is a former National champion from Kandy Girls High School and is presently doing a wonderful job in popularising the sport in lesser known schools mostly in the villages which would have otherwise hardly known the game.

Speaking on this occasion Direcksz said: "Our paddlers were brimming with confidence from the start and they displayed excellent court craft and this is reflected in the one gold medal and six silver medals they brought to the country".

"We must not rest on our laurels and endeavour to perform even better and should have own goals. With dedication and application we could achieve even better results and the paddlers should perform with consistence. A defeat here or there should not leave room for despair. They must use the defeat to climb the ladder. This is what sports teaches".