Sri Lanka karatekas win 13 gold medals in South Asian event
Savindi Samarakoon of Girls High School
The Sri Lanka karate team made history at the fifth edition of the South Asian Karate Championships winning 13 gold medals to emerge runners-up at the three-day tournament worked off from November 7 to 9 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka, fielding 60 players, dominated the first day’s proceedings, claiming 11 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 18 bronze medals in Junior events. The Lankan juniors performed brilliantly, displaying bright prospects for the future of the sport.
Savindi Samarakoon of Girls High School, Kandy, representing Sri Lanka in the curtain-raiser of the tournament, clinched a morale boosting first gold medal for the country. Thereafter the Lankan karatekas went on to dominate the day, ending day one on top.
Samarakoon, 14-year-old, picked up the gold medal in the Cadet Women’s individual kata event while India’s Ishita took the silver medal.
Sri Lanka won 63 medals overall, 18 silver and 32 bronze medals, apart from the history-making 13 gold medals, the best performance in the annual regional tournament.
The tournament saw the participation of 245 players from the five South Asian countries – Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, hosts Bangladesh and India, who fielded 60 competitors.The 5th South Asian Karate Championship, organised by the Bangladesh Karate Federation and South Asian Karate Federation, was worked off at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium in Dhaka under four different categories – Cadet, Junior, Under-21 and Senior.