“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
23-year-old Randika Cooray (fondly known as Randi), is a Special Needs Coordinator at Hampstead Hill Primary School in London, having completed her Degree in Special Needs with Psychology. She has good friends and family. She loves sports. She had quite a rough adolescence; but then, who didn’t right?
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| Randi on the podium with fellow athletes |
So what makes Randi any different from any of us? Nothing really, except that, for someone who never made it to the school marching squad, she sure made up for it by representing Sri Lanka internationally and even bagging a few medals!
As you grew up, how did things change for you, if at all?
A: Well as a teenager, no boy would ever come and ask me to dance for instance, but it wasn’t too much of a problem, because most parties I went for, didn’t have many boys and I always had a steady supply of female partners to dance with!
What did life have in store for you, post-school?
A: Straight after school, we all moved to Dubai. I eventually found a place that worked on Special Needs Awareness, and I started volunteering with 2-5 year olds and due to the positive feedback I had, I was made permanent within the first few months.
What lead you to pursue sports eventually?
A: For my final dissertation at a University in UK, I chose to study people like myself - people with Acondroplasia. I wanted to interview people like me and study the impact society had on them. It was then that I happened to see a feature on TV promoting the Dwarf Athletic Association (DAA) of UK. Badminton was my chosen sport, and I was quite anxious, but when I went over I was pleasantly surprised - I met others who were a mirror image of me - small people!
What was it like to represent Sri Lanka for the first time?
A: The World Dwarf Games takes place every 4 years, and given a choice, I obviously chose to represent Sri Lanka! I got a positive response from the Sri Lankan Tourist Promotion Bureau, who offered to sponsor me throughout. The DAA helped me a lot in getting all the paperwork sorted out and most importantly they got a track suit and shorts made in the colours of the national flag for free. There were 200 athletes, representing 15 countries at the 5th World Dwarf Games, held in Belfast, Ireland, this July. I was so proud to carry the Sri Lanka flag at the opening ceremony as we walked across the field. I won a bronze in the 100m race and was placed 4th in the 60m race.
What have you got to say to the world?
A: I am definitely here because of the great faith and sacrifices of my parents and they continue to be a source of strength to me. I would like to be a part of an awareness movement to fight for the rights of special needs and differently-abled people in Sri Lanka. Also, I want to let people know that a limitation cannot keep us from achieving what we want. Even an ‘impossible dream’ is possible if we have the heart and the will to surmount what is perceived by most, to be unattainable.
OT Achievements
- Silver - Women’s Doubles - Four Nations Disabled Badminton Championship, Liverpool (2009)
- Silver – 60m and 100m and Bronze – Badminton Singles - National Dwarf Games, Birmingham (2009)
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