Darshika Abeywickrama: Balangoda’s Champion
At 6ft, Darshi is one of the pillars of the National Netball team, nicknamed Bale, she has played 54 games for the national team– and played at the national level for nearly a decade.
Growing up in Balangoda, she comes from a family of four sisters and one brother. Her parents were tall, but her grandparents were taller – and she’s certainly got their genes. She played a variety of sports at school, including high jump and basketball, where she says her height was “very welcome”. Many of her school-level sporting achievements were with the basketball team, however she did play some netball, and she excelled at Goal Shooter and Goal Attack.
In 2009, Darshi made the National Team for the first time – recalling this memory results in her breaking into a big smile. She hadn’t played in the junior National Team, and that year there was an exposure series in Malawi leading up to the Asian Netball Championship. She was doubtful as to whether she would make the team for the Championship however she put together a string of excellent games in Malawi and found her way into the team. This was her first international tournament and she learnt from the experience and committed herself “to making the most out of every opportunity – listening and learning from the coaches, the senior players, the umpires, the support staff, and her teammates.” The team won the Championship.
Based on her performances in the National Team, she was offered a position at a bank and this is where she continues to work.
Darshi appreciates the work which involves a lot of customer interaction and multi-tasking, and she recognizes skills that are extremely important – such as communication and clear decision-making.
Darshi’s career hasn’t been without its challenges and in 2011, only one week before the Netball World Championship, she completely tore her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). A critical ligament in your knee – it allows the knee to bend (but not bend too far), provides stability, and helps prevent over-rotation, and when it is torn it requires surgery to repair. In sports like netball, with very dynamic movements – stopping, jumping, twisting, and turning at speed – ACLs are unfortunately an injury that players have to deal with. After surgery an ACL takes approximately 12 months to heal. Having this injury one week before the World Netball Championships would have been a devastating setback, however, Darshi took this as a challenge to not only return to the top level, but “return an even better player.”
She says the injury was also a mental challenge and with the support of her immediate family, workmates, the netball community, and her friends she returned to the National Team in 2013.
Darshi’s routine before a big match involves recalling the best matches she has played, she tries to visualize the match step-by-step, and then before going onto court she tells herself “I can do this – I will do my best.”
She says, “physical strength, mental skills, and your spiritual side must come together regardless of what career you want to do, and this will make you a better, more confident person.”
Her positive mindset continually shows through – from her approach to team selection, to overcoming injury, to training and working, and also when asked about the future. She loves that netball is a team sport, that the
Sri Lankan women are competitive on the World Stage.
