Kalinga Kumarage – a role model for aspiring youngsters
The 25th Asian Athletic Championship that was held in Thailand recently turned out to be one of the memorable events that Sri Lanka participated in sporting history. Sri Lanka managed to secure the fourth position of the medal table and returned home from the championships with a tally of eight medals which included three gold, two silver, and three bronze medals. They also went on to break some national records as well, adding the cherry on top.
Among the medal winners, Sri Lanka had the luxury of having a sprinter in the calibre of Kalinga Kumarage, who has been in the limelight at national level for more than a decade. It is fair to say that Kumarage has endured a fluctuating journey up to now. After a few initial hiccups during his early years as an athlete, he is now reaping the rewards for the commitment and dedication that he has shown ever since entering the arena as a 17-year-old youngster in 2010.
“It was my childhood dream to become a professional athlete and I was fortunate to have a supportive family. Since my parents knew my desire, they sacrificed their life and kept motivating me at all time. That was one of the reasons for my longevity at the highest level as an athlete,” Kumarage said while narrating his life story.
Kumarage is a proud product of Pallewela Maha Vidyalaya, where he studied up to G.C.E. Advance Level. He decided to concentrate on his studies until the sixth grade as education is an essential need for athletes to have a long and successful career.
It was his Physical Education teacher Mrs. Ramyaseeli who kept an eye about his progress at school level. But he only had a handful of achievements at school level. As soon as he left school Kumarage was introduced to renowned national athletic coach, the late Dervin Perera and it turned out to be the turning point of his career. Kumarage was the youngest among the group of athletes who were training under the watchful eyes of the veteran coach. He was a youngster at the time and had clear indications of becoming a future star. He was a quick learner and had the experience of participating in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m events at school level, but the then youngster knew it was always going to be a huge challenge ahead. In 2010 he took part in his first major event at national level. It was a rough start to his career but recalling it now, Kumarage said that it was an invaluable experience despite the second round exit.
“My maiden experience at national level taught me life lessons and it made me realise the sacrifices that athletes encounter to have a successful career. I was hurt but I was determined to prove a point to myself. It was a great learning curve for my future and now I am reaping the rewards,” he recalled.
After the initial setback in 2010 he decided to move on to another coach, Chandana Amarasinghe. New training techniques were introduced and Kumarage’s fitness levels improved and by now he was on the verge of being selected to the national athletic pool. The champion athlete admitted that he had begun to perform consistently only after the age of 20. Kumarage regarded himself as a late bloomer. According to him, being a late bloomer has helped to accept the joy of victory and the bitterness of defeat in good spirits. “I have no fear of failures as I failed on numerous occasions as an athlete, and I have the ability to bounce back and move forward. That’s the reason why I have been able to continue to shine for the last 12 years,” he added.
He follows the footsteps of the American sporting icon Michael Johnson, and Sri Lanka’s very own Sugath Thilakaratne. But interestingly Kumarage never got an opportunity to train overseas, and it has not dampen the spirit of this courageous athlete. Kumarage says that he doesn’t want to travel overseas as he is given the required facilities in Sri Lanka. But he also agrees to the fact that if a youngster gets that opportunity they should grab the maximum of that rare opportunity.
Kumarage won his first international medal in 2016 at the Asian Games held in Guwahati as part of the 4x400m relay team which included Dilip Ruwan, Ajith Premakumara and Kasun Kalhara Seneviratne. In 2017 he won the silver medal in the 4x100m at the Asian Championship.
The year 2018 was a year of mixed emotions for Kumarage. He was crowned the national champion but soon after he was banned for testing positive for allegedly taking substances. He firmly stood by his stance and finally managed to prove his innocence. The ban was lifted after one year. Knowing his gritty personality he was hardly troubled by that incident. The year 2023 can be considered as the most successful year in his career as an athlete, which reaches 13 years.
Kumarage was high in confidence after winning the gold medal at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2023 held in India, clocking 45.6 seconds in the Men’s 400m final. This was a confidence booster for the approaching Asian Athletic Championship that was to be held soon after in Thailand.
When it comes to the Asian Championship Kumarage has some fond memories, participating thrice including this year. Leading up to the championships Kumarage dominated all qualification events and eventually confirmed his participation this year. Years of hard work was paid off when the 4x400m Men’s team won the gold medal and went on to break the national record and the Asian Championship record simultaneously.
“I will never forget that moment, when the Lion flag was hoisted during the medal ceremony. I was born to be an athlete and to make my country proud. It’s rare that we hear our national anthem and see our national flag rise. This surely gives us goose bumps,” he explained of the pure feeling.
He was part of the 4x400m Mixed Relay team alongside Aruna Dharshana, Tharushi Karunaratne and Nadeesha Ramanayake that clocked 3:15.41 seconds to secure the silver medal, behind India and ahead of Japan. The four sprinters also set a new national record. Days after Asian Athletic Championship glory Kumarage clocked his fourth fastest time in Sri Lanka 400m history, blazing his way to win the title with a new championship record of 45.07secs on the second day of the 101st National Athletics Championships held at the Sugathadasa Stadium last week. It is also the best ever time on Sri Lankan soil by an athlete.
The effort eclipsed the record set by one of Kumarage’s idols, Olympian Rohan Pradeep Kumara in 2000, where he beat his closest rival and the fastest 400m runner in Sri Lankan history Sugath Thilakaratne with a blistering 45.25secs. Kumarage’s and the Men’s 4x400m Relay team’s next hurdle will be the World Athletic Championship scheduled to be held in Hungary later this month. He anticipates to add a medal or two to his collection of 20 international medals.
“During these years it has been a slow but steady journey. Every competition had its unique challenges, but somehow I overcame those challenges with the constant support of my family. I believe that we have a great chance of winning medals at the World Championship and the upcoming Asian Games,” Kumarage, a role model for youngsters with a slow but steady journey, firmly stated.