Nine Royalists in Sri Lanka sailing team for 3rd Langkawi Youth Championship
View(s):The Sri Lanka Junior sailing team will sail at one of the biggest youth sailing events, the 3rd Langkawi Youth Sailing Championship 2024 in Malaysia, scheduled from June 19 to June 23.
The 11-member team, comprising of nine athletes from Royal College and one each from S. Thomas’ College and Ladies College, will be flying out tonight to participate in the prestigious event.
Minuga Hettigamage, Randira Hangarangoda, Binal Perera and Luqmaan Aneeq from Royal College and Haren Wickramatilaka from S. Thomas’ College will represent the Optimist Class.
Yusef Hazari and Saditha Gamage will race in the ILCA 4 category, while Omar Hazari and Taalya Tranchell will race ILCA 6. Anuda Silva and Sakindu Denipitiya will take on ILCA 7. The team will be accompanied by national coach Krishan Janaka and the ILCA national coach Roshil Nisantha with Varunanathan Satsorupen as manager.
“Sailing has been an integral part of Sri Lanka through the ages and we are keen on promoting the sport, as this is an island nation with the perfect conditions. We have no doubt our young sailors will continue to shine on international waters,” said the Director General of Sports, Dr. Shemal Fernando.
(From left): Minuga Hettigamage, Yusef Hazari, Randira Hangarangoda, Saditha Gamage, Anuda Silva, Sarath Kurgama (COO of YASL), Dr. Shemal Fernando (Director General of Sports), V. Satsorupan (Team Manager), Omar Hazari, Sakindu Denipitiya, Luqmaan Aneeq, Binal Perera (Absent Taalya Tranchell, Haren Wickramatilaka)
Kicking off on June 19, the
Sri Lankans will compete against some of the world’s top racers from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Cambodia, Myanmar and Hong Kong. The Sri Lankan team
also boasts of seasoned sailors including Taalya Tranchell of Ladies College, who represented
Sri Lanka at the last Asian Games, and three times national champ Yusef Hazari of Royal College, as well as several other national podium winners.
Over 200 sailors will drop into the Langkawi waters for four days of head-to-head competition as the best sailors from across the globe fight for their respective titles. Sailors Under-21 will race their boat classes including the Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, ILCA 7, International 420, 29ER and Windsurfing
classes.
“The junior national sailing team has been training hard for this championship, and we have no doubt that they will bring back glory to Sri Lanka,” said Sarath Kuragama, the Chief Operating Officer of
the Yachting Association of Sri Lanka, the national sailing body.
The Youth Sailing Championship is an offshoot of the Langkawi International Regatta Perdana, the Prime Cup, which is a world ranking event on its 21st year.
“The Junior Championship evolved from the main event, and our intention was to provide a platform for young sailors to shine. We are intent on providing the best championship that’s fair to all and want our sailors to enjoy Langkawi,” said Mohamed Afendi Abdullah, the Chairman of the event and International Racing Officer.