Medals galore as spirited lifters flourish on world stage
Ransilu Jayathilake
Power-lifting is a sport where athletes require a lot of mental strength and stamina. In the recent past this wonderful sport has given the Sri Lankan public a reason to be proud of their country.
The journey started from Mongolia in December 2018 and after that they were able to carry their momentum in to the World Power-lifting Championship (qualifying tournament) in Gold Coast, Australia.
Sri Lanka participated in the World Power-lifting Championship in Sweden and was ranked 12th in the world.
During the Commonwealth Power-lifting Championship in Canada, they won 42 medals, 21 Gold 10 silver and 11 Bronze medals.
After the Historic Commonwealth Championship campaign, Ransilu Jayathilake and Nivendra Silva sat down for an interview with the Sunday Times.
“Leading up to the Commonwealth Championship we were confident of winning medals for our nation and I am really proud of the way that the athletes performed,” he said.
However he was unhappy about the fact that they did not have a lot of time to acclimatise themselves to the conditions in Canada.
“Even though the athletes had performed well, leading up to the competition we had a lot of financial and Visa problems and by the time we landed in Canada we did not have much time to prepare. Other countries had at least three weeks to get used to the cold conditions there. If we had time to prepare to the conditions we would have done better,” Ransilu noted.
The two sub Juniors Nivendra Silva and Kakolya de Silva won the Championship (Under-18) with two Gold medals, in the Men’s Open Sri Lanka was ranked 18th. In the Women’s event they were ranked 29th.
In the Equipped Division, Ransilu won a silver medal and in the Deadlift Division he won Gold and in the classic event, which is considered to be the main event of the competition, he won a silver medal.
Ransilu, who led the team, explained on the challenges his team had to encounter during the competition.
“We had a hectic few days in Canada, we did not have a coach. As a senior member and the captain I had to look after the athletes and sometimes I was their coach. That was a great experience for me,” he emphasised.
The hosts Canada, Wales, Ireland and India were strong opponents. Sri Lanka was able to beat all the powerful nations and won the gold medal. The captain was pleased about the fact that he was able to make his country proud.
“I am really proud. Our opponents were powerful and fortunately I was able to overcome the challenges. They are professional power-lifters and are being paid for their commitments, but I think my passion and the determination is my strength and, up to now, it has been the motivation for my success,” he said, with a sense of satisfaction.
Furthermore he said that Sri Lanka managed to live up to expectations.
“When we went in to the tournament nobody knew about our talents but when they saw our performances they realised our capabilities and by the end of the competition we were able to make an impact on the world stage”.
Nivendra Silva is a good prospect for Sri Lanka. His first competition was the Asian Championship in Mongolia in 2018.
“I was very nervous during my first competition, but as time went by, I understood the sport and I was able to train with the strongest athletes in Sri Lanka. My captain is an inspiration to me and my coach, Mothilal Jayatilake, has helped me a lot at all times,” Nivendra noted.
On the other hand the other Sub Junior lifter, Kakolya de Silva won nine gold medals in the Commonwealth Championships and skipper Ransilu commended the efforts of the two Sub Juniors.
He referred to them as the future of power-lifting in the country. Ransilu also expressed his thoughts on the difficulties they had to encounter to make power-lifting a popular sport in Sri Lanka.
“When I started this sport, only my father was there to help me. You need to have the passion and the determination in order to have a long career. I have a lot of reasons to give up this sport but when I see the Sri Lankan flag I forget the difficulties and it motivates me to win medals for my beloved motherland.”
Marian de Zoysa created history when she became the first Sri Lanka women athlete to win a medal in the Commonwealth Power-lifting Championship. She won a silver medal.
“I think Marian deserved to win a medal in the Commonwealth Championship. She competed with the world’s best power-lifter from Great Britain. It was a challenging journey for her, but fortunately she was able to overcome the challenges. We are very proud of her.”
Marian is an inspiration for all the young girls. They have around 200 women athletes now which are great for the sport in general.
A coach plays a vital role in sport. Mothilal Jayathilake has been an inspirational figure in the history of Sri Lankan power-lifting. Nivendra explains on how his mentor and the coach encourage him to improve his stamina and power.
“My coach has been an inspirational figure to me. He knows my capabilities and he encourages me at all times. He always recalls incidents from his past and that helps me to realise the difficulties that he had encountered when he began the sport many years ago,” Nivendra recalled with gratitude.
Ransilu referred to his father as his greatest inspiration and he also said that he still has a lot to learn from his father.
“My father is my hero. When I was young he always wants me to become an Olympic champion. He gives me a lot of advice and he always monitors my fitness level and he gives me the mental strength which is extremely important in this sport. I am proud to be his son,” Ransilu concluded.