Randika wins Silver and Bronze at Para-Badminton tournament
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Randika Doling (nee Cooray) took part in the Asian Para-Badminton Championships in Beijing, China along with three other Sri Lankan players; Upul Bandara Gamagedara, Sanjeeva Perera and Prassanna Kumarasiri. She represented Sri Lanka in the SS6 (short stature) category.
Over 140 competitors from 12 nations competed to become Asian champions in their respective classifications. There were 22 titles to play for over the four days of competition.
Only 3 feet and 10 inches tall, Randika represented Sri Lanka in the singles competition and played mixed doubles with Mark Joseph (who represented India).She competed against players from China and Thailand and ended up bringing home Sri Lanka’s first medal of the competition. She won a bronze medal in Women’s SS6 singles after beating Kannikon Yaemmali, a Thai player, 21-16 21-18. Randika also won a silver with her mixed partner from India after beating Huide Yan and Shuangbao Lin from China 21-10 21-10. Randika was the only player in the Sri Lankan team to win any medals at these championships.
When asked about the championships Randika exclaimed, “It has been an amazing experience to have taken part in my first Asian Para-badminton Championships and watch the world class athletes compete to become champions. I am pleased to become the only Sri Lankan player to win medals at this event and hope to continue bringing pride to my country!”
Randika’s success came on the back of her remarkable achievement at the World Para-badminton event in 2015 at Stoke Mandeville in England where she also won a bronze and silver medal. Currently she has achieved all of this success through her own hard work. This hard work has paid off this year when she received a full gear sponsorship deal from world leading sport equipment company, Yonex. Currently Randika is also looking for more sponsorship opportunities to help support her training and participation in national and international events. If you are interested in funding her please contact randirsc@yahoo.com.