Lt. Col. Janaka Ritigahapola narrates Aussie Gun Championship experience Anusha Prasadika of the Sri Lanka Air Force won the Gold Medal for Overall Ladies 3-Gun Championship whilst also winning the Ladies Rifle discipline finishing third in the Ladies Handgun and Shotgun disciplines at the Level IV. Australasia 3-Gun Championship concluded at the Clark Eagle and O’ Donnell Ranges in Manila, Philippines.

The Sri Lanka team which participated at the 3-Gun Championships in the Philippines.

“The Sri Lanka team has lots of natural talent for shooting with any type of firearm, but the military firearms and ammunition available to the national team are not competitive when compared to the highly sophisticated and modified firearms and precision made competitive ammunition used by other countries,” said Air Commodore Kishan Yahampath, Vice President of the National Rifle Association and Chairman Air Force Shooting who went as Manager to the Philippines Gun Championship 2009.
Continuing he said: “The 5.56 mm rifle ammunition used by the national team was manufactured in 1989.”

The team was also accompanied by the national IPSC coach, Capt. Sarath de Zoysa (Retd) and Major Jayanath Perera as the Assistant Manager. Air Commodore Yahampath was grateful to the Minister of Sports and Recreation for providing the air tickets for the national team.

Thirteen-year-old Haritha Pilapitiya of the Hill Country Sport Shooting Club bagged the Gold Medal in the Overall 3-Gun Championship in the under 21 Junior Category finishing first in the Rifle and Shotgun Junior categories. Both Anusha and young Haritha were the most outstanding displays of Rifle, Handgun and Shotgun shooting by the Sri Lanka team.

Chaminda Abeywardena of the Sri Lanka Army won an individual Bronze Medal by finishing third in the Standard Division Rifle discipline with a percentage of 92.0301.

Nishantha Koswatta of the Sri Lanka Army was placed fifth Overall in the 3-Gun Championship, finishing fourth in the Standard Division Team Championship, due to poor performances by the other two members of the team we finished as the first runners-up to the Standard Division National Team of the Philippines.

Lt. Col. Janaka Ritigahapola was placed seventh in the Overall Open 3-Gun Championship finishing sixth and 11th in Shotgun and Handguns disciplines, with percentages of 60.9721 and 85.4471 respectively, which was the best achievement by a Sri Lankan in the Open Division.

Sujeeva Priyadarshani of the Sri Lanka Navy, representing Sri Lanka for the first time, won the Shotgun discipline in the Ladies Category, well ahead of the experienced Air Force shooters.
A Ladies team was not entered as there was no other Ladies team in the contest. The Sri Lanka Open Division team comprising Janaka Ritigahapola, Inoka Weerasinghe, Anusha Prasadika and Haritha Pilapitiya also finished as the first runners-up to the Open Division National team of the Philippines.
Agassi’s atonement and a little
bit of humour
In the extracts of his autobiography “Open” Andree Agassi believed he was fed with ‘Speed’ by his father before matches early in his career thinking that the “tiny white round tablets” were top be caffeine. Later his brother told him to throw them away. He took Crystal Meth (Methamphetamine) and lied to an independent drug tribunal and got away with it.

Agassi was so overwhelmed with guilt he decided to come clean. “Everyday has been atonement” and his book has been atonement. Now relieved and retired from tennis he is devoting his time to innumerable charities and family life with his wife and three children.

Agassi has won eight Grand Slams and an Olympic Medal. Along with Fred Perry, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Roger Federer, Agassi was one of the very few who have won the American, Australian, French and Wimbledon titles. Agassi was very popular on the tennis court. When in doubt of decisions, he was very polite and never threw tantrums.

Richard Gasquet, the French tennis star plays regularly in competitions in America, Australia, France and at Wimbledon. He was tested positive but an independent tribunal accepted his explanation that cocaine had entered his system through a kiss with a waitress at a late night bar!

Coming to the great Australian leg spinner Shane Warne, who is the second highest wicket taker in Test cricket next to Sri Lanka’s own Murali, it was once revealed that Warne’s mother fed him vitamin tablets in order he gains strength and endurance.

There have been cases where players get off with failed tests. The whole saga illustrates various points of views.

To some it may seem as a little humour in sport that on the advice of a father, a mother and a night waitress, players had accidentally or mistakenly taken tablets. To others like past tennis champions like Boris Becker, Martina Navratilova and present champions Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer it was severely condemned.

So too would be to the moralists.
Dr. K.T. Ratnam
287 C Hoe Street,
Walthamstow,
London E179 SG