Dinesh Priyantha: War hero to a brave-hearted Paralympian
Living with special needs is no mean task but for the soldiers having battled the near-four-decade civil war, it was an undesired destiny. A battle field, where it was a carnage of the countless many with mass numbers of life-and-limbs lost.
To ensure the wounded warriors had a life to live, a group of inspirational figures in the likes of Premadasa Dissanayake, Maj. Gen Rajitha Ampemohotti and Col. Deepal Herath pushed these people to embark on sports. One such beneficiary was Dinesh Priyantha. There are many.
Since then several para athletes have flourished on the world stage and they have been able to showcase their capabilities to the global audience and bring glory to their motherland. This is another story of exceptional courage of a para athlete who never gave up until the ultimate dream is achieved.
In one of the several para athletes flourishing with flying colours in the world stage, – Pradeep Sanjaya – tops the list with he as the first Sri Lankan Para athlete to earn a medal at the London 2012 Paralympics.
Since the early days, Priyatha had several obstacles to overcome. Having hailed from an underprivileged family in the rural village of Kagama, Anuradhapura, Priyatha’s first activity was farming with parents.
This youngster had taken part in inter-house games at his school, Kagama Dhathusena Maha Vidyalaya, barely with the elementary facilities. But he had no plans of starting a career as a sportsman as family fell first due to the untimely death of his father, when small Priyath was only 12. From a schoolboy, he had to shift gears to bear the burden of a breadwinner. Times took a turn only to the bad, as being the eldest son, to look after his elder sister and the younger brother.
“During my childhood I used to play cricket with my friends, took part in inter-house games at school. Other than that, I didn’t have time to engage in sporting activities since I had to look after my family. After my father’s death we went through several hardships but amid all the difficulties I was determined to find a way to come out of these problems and make sure that they didn’t have to worry about the immediate future of the family,” Priyatha recalled during an interview with the Sunday Times.
Priyatha’s life took a turn when he decided to join the 3rd Gajaba Regiment of Sri Lanka at 18. He banked on that as an opportunity to earn a living.
The year 2008 was a horrific year for Priyatha. It was the time where war was at its peak and during the final stages of the humanitarian operation in Kilinochchi, he got injured on December 16 as the terrorists fired three shots to his left-arm.
The then 22-year-old youngster had barely escaped from the jaws of death. He spent four years at the Ragama – ‘Ranaviru Sevana’ – undergoing treatment and rehabilitation.
During this period, senior officials in the Gajaba regiment had encouraged and endorsed him to take up sports, pointing out to become a Javelin thrower after considering his height and the body structure.
Since becoming a Para athlete in 2012, he has been victorious on numerous occasions, gathering over – 34 medals – up to now.
In his early stages of his career, he competed in all Para athletic Championships and managed to live up to his expectations. He won his maiden Gold at the Army Inter-Regiment Para Games, going on to set a Lankan record.
Then, his immediate goal was to qualify for the London Paralympics. The qualifications saw, successfully qualifying in Malaysia and repeating the Lankan gold in the Muslim-majority country as well.
Since he was not with the world in rankings then, he fell short of qualifying for the London Paralympics. Despite the heartbreak, he continued to impress in the years that led up to the Rio Paralympics.
In 2014, his financial status forced him to give up the sport. However, it was Col. Herath, coming to the fore, convincing him to have a crack at the Rio version. He had to come to terms with the hiatus of two years to prepare in half-a-year for the Rio showpiece.
Eventually, he reaped rewards for his sacrifice and determination, when he won the Bronze medal with a performance of 58.23m and became the second Sri Lankan Para athlete to win a medal at the Paralympics.
Agony to awards and accolades
Eventually, he reaped rewards for his sacrifice and determination winning a bronze with a timing of 58.23s, becoming only the second medal-winning Lankan para athlete at the games.
After the success in Rio, medals started to galore for this gritty Para athlete. In 2017, he secured silver at the world Para Athletic Championship in London, followed-suit clinching a gold Medal at the Para Asian Games in Jakarta, 2018. Then he won his second medal (Silver in the World Para Athletic Championship In Dubai (2019). He was also awarded as the outstanding Male Para athlete of the year at the Presidential awards in 2019.
This time he is vying for the gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.
“In 2016 I was able to win the Bronze medal and it’s the most memorable achievement in my career but my aim is to win a gold medal for my country and being able to participate in two Paralympics is a rare achievement for a sportsperson. It’s been nine years since I have started my career. This sport has given me the confidence to move forward in life. My wife Isanka Maduwanthi has been a source of strength to me and my coach Pradeep Nishantha has been monitoring my fitness throughout my career and I believe that I will achieve my ultimate goal of securing the gold medal for my country,” Priyatha concluded.
Despite the hard grind Priyatha had suffered throughout, he has enjoyed the return and will make the country proud, including inspiring the young blood, the future of the country.