“We are on the right track” says Weightlifting coach Wickremasinghe
Chief coach of the Sri Lanka Weightlifting contingent, R.B. Wickremasinghe, feels they are on the right track at the moment.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times, Wickremasinghe, the doyen of Weightlifting in Sri Lanka, said, “Definitely our standards have improved. In 2006, when we won Commonwealth Games ‘Gold’, I feel we were not as good, but since then, we have improved leaps and bounds, and now we have a team that can hold its own against a lot of competition.”
National Weightlifting coach R.B. Wickremasinghe and his team of coaches watching the proceedings along with the panel of judges, during the final day’s Weightlifting event - Pic courtesy Thusitha Wijedoru NOCSL
He further added that most of our team members come from very simple backgrounds but, something they have common is the will to do better. “May be Weightlifting may lack the glamour that some of the other bodies have. They will have a competition that will have only 7-8 competing nations, and when they win a medal, they shout their throats hose, while the backing they get from the authorities is also huge. Yet, just imagine to win these medals at the Commonwealth Games that our teams brought home, after performing better than a lot of other countries.
“We are aware that India, which is equal to us physically, is doing better. But, with a little bit of technical and other logistical support, we also could improve to the required standards and stand equal even at competitions such as the Asian Games.
While saying that, Wickremasinghe also came up with a word of caution. “Sometimes, when a sport is doing well, there come various people trying to support the cause but, invariably, what they do is more harm than good. So the balance in this sphere is very important.” He brought out the age old adage, “Too many cooks may spoil the soup”.
He said, “This is a journey that began around 40 years ago. When I won Bronze at the South Asian Games, Weightlifting in the country was of a different standard but, our team understood what was required to push the game forward, and we have been working tirelessly towards moving up the ladder.
“We do get a lot of assistance from the National Olympic Committee and the Sports Ministry. Now, what we need more is technical and technological support.
“We also like to add when our players do well there are new youngsters taking up to the game. So right now, we have to say the game is in good hands and with a little bit of the right backing, we could change gears and compete with the big guns in the arena, while concentrating in the right weight categories we could excel in”