Boxing their way through

On the road to Kandy first passing the new Gopallawa roundabout is a school that has grown in stature in recent years. Abutting St John’s Church, Getambe was the school that bore the same name. Not any longer, for the name board now reads Mahanama College, Kandy. Their crowning achievement came a fortnight ago, when the school’s boxers won the prestigious T.B. Jayah boxing meet held at Gamini Maha Vidyalaya, Ingiriya. Boxing at Mahanama was started in 1985 but it really got going only in 2002 under the present Principal, H.M. Jayakody.

The boxers who brought credit to the school are N.B.A.S.N. Kumara (Bantam) N.B.A.W.J. Kumara, his brother, (Bantam), O.L.G.D.C. Kumara (Feather), W.H.D.N. Leelananda (Feather) and D.L.P.R. Kumara (Welter) who all won gold medals at the T.B. Jayah meet. The captain of the College team K.M.C.G. Bandara (Bantam) won silver, while H.M.L.P. Jayawardena (Light Fly) and U.G.Y.S. Kumara (Fly) just fell short.

Boxing has really kicked on during the last three years as success started coming their way. In 2005 they were placed second at the Central Province meet, runner up at the 2006 T.B. Jayah meet, 3rd at the National Schools Championships (Stubbs Shield), won the Central Province Boxing meet in 2006, and this year they came third in the Cadets Boxing meet.

A Mahanama College student, W.V.D.C.S. Weerasinghe was selected to represent Sri Lanka at the World Cadet Boxing Championship for juniors. As luck would have it, the entire team was unable to obtain visas for the event in Liverpool and had to stay behind.
Practices are held all five days of the week at the school.

When a tournament approaches, they even slug it out over the weekend. There is no boxing ring, but they do have a punching bag. Facilities are minimal and they use their bare fists for punching the bag.

Whatever nourishment the school can give, the authorities provide, sometimes parents came in with their contributions. The school boxers all turn out for the Mahanama boxing Club and when they box in Colombo, they put up in a large room at the YMCA.

The Inter House Boxing meet which commenced only in 2006 gives the youngsters their first bit of exposure. Mahanama’s boxers start around thirteen years of age and dedication is the key to their success.

The staff, as well as the boxers, are unanimous in their praise of two individuals – the coach, and the Principal. The school has undergone a complete transformation under Mr Jayakody and boxing is the sport he concentrates on.

N. Priyantha Kumara, the coach, is an old boy of the school, and in his glory days he was part of the boxing squad for one of the early SAF games. It is purely his dedication to the sport and his desire to see the boxers of his old school reap their due rewards that lies behind the success of boxing at Mahanama.

The school authorities would welcome any donations that would enable them to develop sports in general, and boxing in particular, at the school.