What a feeling!!!
When Yupun Abeykoon and Palitha Bandara embraced each other after the Men’s 100m final, it was a moment to savour for all Sri Lankans as Yupun went on to clinch a well-deserved bronze medal at the concluded Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.
A few moments later, the final standings of the Men’s F42-44/61-64 discus throw final was revealed, and it was para athlete Palitha Bandara’s moment of glory. He clinched the silver medal and he became the first Sri Lankan para athlete to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games.
It turned out to be one of the historic days where the Sri Lankan public was on the edge of their seats. That was a moment they will cherish for the rest of their lives.
Para athlete Bandara’s journey to Commonwealth glory was never a rosy path. Having emerged from the village of Thalagoda, in the Matale district, he was keen to involve in sporting activities despite the struggles he had to encounter during the early years of his life.
Bandara, is a product of Millawana Maha Vidyalaya, Matale and had participated in school’s Inter-House games. Back then he excelled in track and field events which include shot put and discus throw. He was also a member of the school’s volleyball team. Despite having the talent, he was unable to prosper as a sportsman due to financial restrains his family faced.
“During our childhood we didn’t have facilities as well as technology. Even though we wanted to pursue a career in sports, we had numerous challenges including financial difficulties. My father, a quarryman, was the breadwinner of the family. We somehow were able to have a fair education,” Palitha recalled, after his success at Birmingham.
In spite of being hampered by financial difficulties and inadequate facilities, this gritty youngster successfully completed his education and got through the G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination. After few years he decided to join Sri Lanka Army, as it was an ideal earning opportunity to provide some solace for the family members who had gone through adversities from the outset.
During his early years in the Army, he represented its volleyball team. Bandara was an integral part of the team until he suffered a serious knee injury in 2013, which kept him away from sporting activities for nearly two years.
“While I was in a practice session on November 12 in 2013, I had an awkward fall. As a consequence, my left knee was broken into two parts. Due to the injury, I was unable to continue volleyball, the sport I adored the most,” he reminisced on the life changing incident.
Initially it took Bandara some time to realise what had happened. Those were the depressing times for him. During his rehabilitation process he was transferred to the Sri Lanka National Guard Regimental Centre in Kurunagela. The transfer eventually was a steppingstone for Bandara to turn a new chapter in his life. He met W. Jayasinghe and Nilantha Kumara, who had motivated him to pursue a career as a para athlete.
It was the beginning of Bandara’s journey of revival. In 2015 he was introduced to para sports. Despite having the experience of participating in track and field events, there was a sense of anxiety on Bandara’s mind as this was the first time he practiced after the horrific incident.
As time went by, the dark clouds that overshadowed Bandara’s progress had diminished. However, until 2017 he had to train without the guidance of a coach. During that period he made use of the internet for training tips.
In 2017, he was transferred to the camp in Anuradhapura. It was during this time he found his first coach Preethi Anurakumara and trained under his guidance for two months. Soon after returning to the Kurunegala camp, he was rewarded for his dedication and commitment that he had shown since 2015, where he was informed by the National Paralympic Committee to join the national pool of athletes who were training for the 2018 Asian Para Games held in Jakartha.
“I had only three months to prepare for the competition. I was training under the guidance of Pradeep Nishantha. Leading up to the competition both of us were quite confident about our chances of winning a medal. Fortunately everything went according to plans and eventually I won the silver medal with my personal best at the time, clearing a distance of 13.21m,” he noted.
As Bandara prepared for the Tokyo Paralympics last year, Prabath Danushka Perera had joined in as his new coach. Leading into the showpiece event, he won a bronze medal with an overall distance of 13.42m in the Men’s shot put event at the Fazza World Para Athletic Championship 2021 in Dubai. It was the qualifying event for the Tokyo Paralympics. Representing their country at the Paralympics is the ultimate dream for a para athlete, for Bandara it was no exception.
During the Men’s shot put final he was placed fifth with an overall distance of 13.40m.
Even though missing out on a medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, the performance gave him confidence as his focus shifted to Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Leading up to the preparations in Birmingham the National Paralympic Committee had informed Bandara that he had to change his event from shot put to discus throw. Fortunately he had done the event at school level. So it was not difficult for him to adjust.
“My coach and I worked tirelessly until we reached Birmingham. My event was scheduled to take place at night. It was around 15 celsius, very cold. We had to practice at night to acclimatise to weather conditions,” he elaborated.
During the final, Bandara felt confident about his chances of winning a medal. It was his fifth attempt that made the difference and sealed the fate. He cleared a distance of 44.20m to clinch the silver medal.
“I felt nervous up to the fifth attempt, and I asked my coach whether I have secured a medal. My coach said that I have won either a silver medal or a bronze. Moments later I got to know that Yupun (Abeykoon) had won the bronze medal, I was so happy for him. He couldn’t believe what had happened, neither could I,” Bandara recalled the series of events that took place during that historic moment.
Even after he congratulated Yupun, Bandara did not know that he had won the silver medal. Eventually when it was revealed, Bandara said that it took him a few moments to realise.
“I will never forget that moment, when the Lion flag was hoisted during the medal ceremony. I was born to be an athlete and make my country proud. I am also pleased about the fact that I was able to justify the sacrifices of my parents and especially my wife Udayangani Kosala, who have gone through many challenges during my career. I would like to pay my gratitude to the National Paralympic Committee for their support throughout”.
Up to now, Bandara has won over 34 medals at national and international levels. He was also awarded as the best athlete in Army Para Games in 2018. Corporal Palitha Bandara’s journey to Commonwealth glory will be remembered as one of the memorable chapters in the country’s sporting history.