Dheema and Thenuka bag TT honours
Dheema Ali and Thenuka Dinujaya bagged honours by winning the most outstanding player awards on offer in the girls’ and boy’s categories at
Chief Guest, Guest of honor, officials along with the winners
the annual Tibhar Table Tennis Tournament held at the S. Thomas’ College Indoor Complex in Mt. Lavinia. The duo produced some scintillating display of ping pong to come on top amongst a host of recognised paddlers in contention.
Besides Dheema of Royal Institute and Thenuka of Kegalu Vidyalaya others who topped their respective categories too were awarded with special prizes. Among the special awards, the notables were for the most stylish player for girls and boys. These two awards were won by Nethmi Hettiarachchi and Ravishitha Fernando respectively.
Like the past events held over the decade, the 11th Tibhar TT Tournament received record number entries, attracting around 600 Junior and Senior paddlers from around the country. The event was held at S. Thomas’ Indoor Complex in Mt. Lavinia on June 27 and 28.
The organisers of the event also made use of this tournament felicitate the Sri Lanka Junior Table Tennis team consisting of famed boys and girls, who had competed in this tournament in the recent years. Those were the players who participated at the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Tournament held in New Delhi, India, in which Udaya Ranasinghe won the first ever gold medal for Sri Lanka. Besides the solitary gold medal the young Sri Lankan girls and boys won six each of silver and bronze medals.
Most Outstanding players Dheema Ali and Thenuka Dinujaya (Girls and Boys)
The tournament is organised annually by Tibhar Sports Club, who has been in the forefront of Sri Lanka’s Table Tennis arena for well over a decade. Tibhar SC has been organiing an All-Island tournament every year with the intention of promoting table tennis among Sri Lankan schools and bringing these young talents to international level.
Tibhar SC and Tibhar Table Tennis Academy is headed by two prominent former Sri Lanka national players Namal Gunasekara and Buddhasiri Withanachchi, who also was the head coach of the Sri Lanka national junior side that won 13 medals in whole.
The chief guest of the awards ceremony was the newly elected president of Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka, former Veteran Double national player Rajeeva Wijetunga. Guests of honour were Dammika Wijesundara, a former national hockey player and the Marketing Manager for Singer Sri Lanka and Dilshan Seneviratne, a former national table tennis player, former Chairman of the selection committee TTASL and Head of Transaction Banking at Citi Bank. This event was organised by the Executive Committee of Tibhar Sports Club under organising committee chairman Kokila de Silva.
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RESULTS
Girls Category
Under-8: Champion – Lesanya Sethumlee (Dharmasoka); Runner-up – Dheema Ali (Royal Institute)
Under-10: Champion – Dheema Ali (Royal Institute); Runner-up – Lesanya Sethumlee (Dharmasoka)
Under-12: Champion – Dheema Ali (Royal Institute); Runner-up – Navindi Seneviratne (Kegalu Balika)
Under-15: Champion – Tharindi Thamasha (Viharamahadevi MV); Runner-up – Hiranya Kalhari (Southland Galle)
Under-18: Champion – Raveesha Amarasinghe (Prajapathi BV); Runner-up – Chehana Ravindi (Dharmasoka)
Under-21: Champion – Maneesha Shalindie (Karandeniya MMV); Runner-up – Nilushi Pushpakumari (Karandeniya MMV)
Novices Women: Champion – Anupama Ariyaratne (University of Ruhuna); Runner-up – Nethmi Hettiarachchi (Holy Cross)
Intermediate Women: Champion – Dilini Perera (Visakha); Runner-up – Nadithi Rehansa (Prajapathi BV)
Under-12 Doubles: Champions – Pinidi Jayasinghe and Tharindi Thamasha; Runners-up – Inuli Gunasekara and Chathumi Yuveena
Under-18: Champions – Yahani Mendis and Thamadi Mendis (Girls’ HS Mtl); Runners-up – Dilini Perera and Anushka de Silva
Boys
Under-8: Champion – Sithum Fernando (St. Agnes); Runner-up – Dineth Chamudith (Ananda)
Under-10: Champion – Thisum Gamage (Ananda); Runner-up – Rawishitha Fernando (St. Mary’s Kegalle)
Under-12: Chanupa Gunasena (Ananda); Runner-up – Rawishitha Fernando (St. Mary’s Kegalle)
Under-15: Champion – Kavindu Suranga (Royal); Runner-up – Ashvida Nikil (Dharmaraja)
Under-18: Champion – Lochana Wickramathilaka (S. Thomas’); Runner-up – Chamidu Bandara (Trinity)
Under-21: Champion – Manthila Sahan (Lyceum); Runner-up – Chamidu Bandara (Trinity)
Novices Men: Champion – Chanuka Sri Bandara (St. Mary’s Kegalle); Runner-up – Anupa Athauda (Vidyartha)
Intermediate Men: Champion – Thenuka Dinujaya (Kegalu V); Runner-up – Senura Silva (Ananda)
Under-12 Doubles: Champions – Oshan Silva and Sithum Nilanga (CIS); Runner-up – Kawsily Jayasumana and Sahiru Munasinghe
Under-18 Doubles: Champions – Harshana Karadawela and Shakila Karunarathne (Vidyartha); Runners-up – Lakshika Shehan and Manthila Sahan (Dharmaloka Kelaniya)
Most Outstanding Player
Girls: Dheema Ali (Royal Institute)
Boys: Thenuka Dinujaya (Kegalu V)