Lalith Priyantha |
It would be the height of absurdity to even think that Lalith Priyantha is a spent force in the local Table Tennis world. He proved it absolutely beyond doubt when he went on to annex the Veteran’s Singles title at the inaugural Dhammika Gunaratne Memorial All Island Table Tennis Championship held at the S. Thomas’ College Sporting Complex on the 21st and 22nd of March without conceding a set to his opponent Rajive Wijetunge in the final. In doing so, he conclusively proved that he is brimming with rare talent especially after bagging the Triple Crown at the veterans Table Tennis Championship held at the race course tables last year.
As a 13-year-old student of Mahabodhi M.V. Lalith would accompany his brother Dayawansa to the Drieberge Community Centre just to watch him play and nobody at that stage would ever predict that this lad would some day turn out to be one of the great, if not the greatest player ever to adorn the local T.T. scene, and in the process leave an indelible mark in the minds of Table Tennis fans.
That Lalith had incredible talent for this sport goes without saying. However he knew that to reach the top he also had to put in hours of devotion, dedication and intensive training. This he did without counting the cost and success was not too late in coming Lalith’s way as he reached the finals of the U-14 category of the Drieberge Community Centre tournament as a mere 13-year-old. This was the tip of the iceberg as Lalith was concerned and he went on to power his way to a multitude of titles which saw his trophy cabinet overflow.
His first title come in 1979 when he went on to win the Borah’s Open Novices Championship and his road to fame was paved with unlimited success when he became runner-up in the Junior Nationals the same year and followed it up by winning the Lanka Plate Tournament. An immensely talented Lalith’s next conquest was the intermediate singles title in 1980 and on his continued dominance, he was selected to the national pool and in 1986 won the National Title for the first time and was elevated to the position of No. 1 Singles Player in the country.
In 1988 Lalith went on to create local Table Tennis history when he captured the Men’s Singles Crown at the Nationals and repeated the feat in 1989 and 1990 to become the first ever player to complete a hat-brick of wins. 1999 also saw Lalith captain the Sri Lanka team in the World Table Tennis Championship held on Germany and was the toast of the country winning over 50 per cent of his group matches. 1990 Saw Lalith captaining the Sri Lanka team at the Asian Championship held in Malaysia and also captaining the National side at the world Championship held in Japan in 1991.
From 1990 onwards Lalith was to acquire a plethora of titles winning the Y.M.C. A Open, My Lady Tournament, Mayor’s Cup, Colombo Table Tennis Club Tournament, the Sakura Open and the Ashok Melvani Tournament. 1993 saw Lalith captain the Sri Lanka team on their tour of Germany after which he quit competitive T.T. and went on to become National Coach, National Selector and President of the National Table Tennis Association.
In 2006 Lalith Made a comeback to competitive. T.T. when he emerged as champion in the Veteran’s event followed by winning the doubles title partnered by Frickly Fouse at the Veteran’s Championship held in 2007. He now runs a private coaching School at the Royal College Sports Complex where he fine tunes up and coming youngsters with his vast experience and immense talent, while also being employed at Asian Alliance Insurance Ltd.
Lalith always modest in victory or defeat is certainly a role model for aspiring young Table Tennis players who would do well to follow the devotion , dedication and intense training that this self-made Table Tennis star went through on his way to becoming an icon of local Table Tennis. |
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