Sri Lanka has won 16 Medals at Commonwealth Games
As Sri Lanka send a team of 80 competitors for the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, the Sunday Times looks back at Sri Lanka’s performance since its inception. Sri Lanka has clinched 16 medals so far including five golds, eight silver and three bronze medals. Sri Lanka first medal was won by boxer WA Henricas at the 1938 Sydney Games–then known as British Empire’s Games. Twelve years later Sri Lanka recorded an impressive medal haul by winning four medals–a gold, two silver and a bronze at the British Empire Games held in Auckland in 1950.
Late athletics great Duncan White won the gold medal in the 440 yards hurdles with a time of 52.5 secs while two silver medals were won by boxers Albert Perera (Bantamweight) and K. Edwin (Flyweight). A.I. Obeysekera representing the middleweight category won the bronze medal.
But this was followed by a long medal drought. Sri Lanka’s next success at the Commonwealth Games came during the Victoria Games in 1994 where Sri Lanka clinched five medals–country’s largest medal haul at a single Games. Significantly all five medals were won by the shooters.
The two gold medals were won by Pushpamali Ramanayake and Mali Wickremasinghe in the rifle shooting team event while the three silver medals were won by Lakshman Rajasinghe and C.H. Chandrasiri (Shooting Team Events) and Mali Wickremasinghe in the single event.
Four years later hurdler Sriyani Kulawansa became the first Sri Lankan female track and field athlete to make a podium finish. She clocked a career-best 12.95 secs to win the 100m-hurdles silver medal at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur. In addition Sugath Thilakaratne–country’s best 400m runner to date with a personal best of 44.61secs, clocked 44.64secs to grab silver.
Sri Lanka failed to win a medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester despite the presence of sprint-queen Susanthika Jayasinghe. Chinthana Geethal Vidanage then won Sri Lanka’s first medal in the discipline at the 2006 Melbourne Games. He won gold in the men’s 62Kg.
At the 2010 New Delhi Games, Sri Lanka won silver and a bronze in weightlifting. Chinthana Vidanage recorded his second medal, a silver in the 69 kg . Sudesh Pieris won the bronze in the 56 kg. Peiris followed this up with a silver medal at the 2014 Games in Glasgow Games but unfortunately Peiris is not in the touring squad this time around.
KG Badra was Sri Lanka’s first female representation at a Commonwealth Games. She made her appearance at the 1970 Games in Edinburgh.
The first Commonwesalth Games, known as the Inter-Empire Championships was held in London in 1911. The name was later changed to the British Empire Games in 1930 and remained so until 1950.
From 1954 until 1966 the Games were known as British Empire and Commonwealth Games. From 1970 to 1974 it was called British Commonwealth Games.
From 1978 to date it is known as the Commonwealth Games. This is the 21st in the series.
Sri Lanka took part as Ceylon in the years 1938, 1950, 1958 and 1970. Sri Lanka has not taken part on four occasions. They are 1974, 1982, 1986 and 1990.
The Commonwealth Games has been staged in Australia on four occasions and the Gold Coast Games in the fifth (1938, 1962, 1982 and 2006). Canada has staged it four times – 1930, 1954, 1978 and 1994.