| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 20 December 1995 | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Occupation | netball player, basketball player, banker | ||
| Netball career | |||
| Playing position(s): centre, wing attack | |||
Medal record | |||
Gayanjali Amarawansa (born 20 December 1995) is a Sri Lankan netball player who plays for the national team in the position of centre. [1] She is also currently employed at the Hatton National Bank and also occasionally plays basketball and netball for her bank in domestic competitions. [2]
She pursued her primary and secondary education at the Girls High School, Kandy. She was coached by former Sri Lankan cricketer Suwini de Alwis. She has also competed in other sporting disciplines such as gymnastics and athletics at school level. [3]
She missed out on her first national selection in early 2013 after being diagnosed with dengue. [4] However, she was able to recover from dengue and broke into the national senior team in December 2013. [4]
She was a key member of the Sri Lankan squad which won the 2015 Asian Youth Netball Championship and for her notable performances during the course of the competition she was awarded the Best Wing title. [4] [5] [6] She was included in the senior squad for the 2016 Asian Netball Championships where Sri Lanka emerged as runners-up. [7] [8]
She was also part of the Sri Lankan squad which won the 2018 Asian Netball Championships by defeating Singapore 69-50 in the final, which also ensured Sri Lanka's first Asian Netball Championships triumph since 2009. [9] [10]
She was named in the Sri Lankan squad for the 2019 Netball World Cup which also marked her debut appearance in a Netball World Cup tournament. [11] [12] [13]
She was an integral member of the HNB women's netball team which won the 2021 Super League Netball Championship when HNB defeated Air Force SC 54-37 in the final at the Ratnapura Public Indoor Stadium. [14] [15] She was a member of the HNB side which emerged triumphant during the final of the 2022 Women's Mercantile Basketball Tournament. [16]
She was named as the captain of the Sri Lankan netball team for the 2022 Asian Netball Championships which was held in Singapore. [17] [18] She captained the Sri Lankan side to a record sixth Asian Netball Championship title when Sri Lanka defeated hosts Singapore 63-53 during the 2022 Asian Netball Championship final. [19] [20] Thus, Sri Lanka progressed to the 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa.
In Sri Lankan cricket, a Big Match is an annual school cricket match often played between two rival schools in Sri Lanka. These schools have often played against one another for many years, some for over a century. Big Matches have become an important part of modern Sri Lankan culture, with school children and adults participating in the activity.
Herath Mudiyansalage Dinesh Priyantha, also simply known as Dinesh Priyantha, is a Sri Lankan Paralympic track and field athlete who competes in javelin T46 events. He also served as an important member for the Sri Lanka Army during the Sri Lankan Civil War. He was disabled after being shot at his left arm during the final stages of the war. He is the defending Paralympic champion in men's javelin throw F46 category. On 30 August 2021, he became the first ever Sri Lankan to win a gold medal at the Paralympics when he won the men's javelin throw F46 category. He is the current Paralympic and World record holder in men's javelin throw for F46 category.
Nimali Waliwarsha Konda Liyanarachchi is a Sri Lankan 800 m runner and current national record holder in women's 1500m event. She is also believed to be the first Sri Lankan woman to have competed in steeplechase events. She became the first Sri Lankan woman to complete the distance of 3000 metres in steeplechase event under 11 minutes. She won the best athlete award twice at the Presidential award ceremonies by the Sports Ministry including the Most Outstanding Sportswoman of the Year in 2015. She is currently attached to Sri Lanka Air Force.
Tharjini Sivalingam is a former Sri Lankan veteran netball player and former skipper of the Sri Lankan national netball team. With her staggering height of 206 cm or a fraction under 6 ft 9in, she has been recognized as one of the most successful shooters of all time and often regarded as the tallest netball player ever. She is the most capped international netball player to represent Sri Lanka. She was a regular member of the Sri Lanka national team in international netball tournaments since making her debut in 2009. She is well known for her unusually tall height and considered one of the marquee players in Sri Lankan netball history. She also faced many hardships in her childhood as she grew up in a warzone.
Chaturanga Lakmal Jayasooriya Arachchilage also known as Chathuranga Lakmal is a Sri Lankan male weightlifter.
Indika Chathuranga D. Dissanayake Mudiyanselage, also known as Indika Dissanayake, is a Sri Lankan male weightlifter. He competed in the 69 kg division at the Asian Games, South Asian Games and at the Commonwealth Games, and won silver medals at the 2016 South Asian Games and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Morawakage Maheesh Theekshana is a professional cricketer who plays for the Sri Lanka national cricket team in all three formats of the game. He made his international debut for Sri Lanka in September 2021. Regarded as one of the best T20 bowlers in the world, his bowling action resembles that of former Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, who coincidentally happened to be his mentor with the Sri Lanka Army Sports Club, whom he has represented in the Sri Lankan domestic game.
Sri Lanka competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the nation's eighteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics, with the exception of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Seven of the nation's previous Olympic appearances were under the name Ceylon.
Abeykoon Mudiyansalage Yupun Priyadarshana, known as Yupun Abeykoon, also referred to as Yupun Priyadarshana, is a Sri Lankan track and field athlete and a national record holder in men's 100m, men's 200m and in men's indoor 60m. On 3 July 2022, he became the first South Asian to break the 10-Second barrier for the men's 100 meters event at the Resisprint International competition, with a timing of 9.96 seconds, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. He currently resides in Italy as he went on a scholarship to Italy in 2015. He is also attached to the Electronic and Mechanical Engineering Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army and represents Army Sports Club. He is currently regarded as the fastest Sri Lankan man as well as fastest South Asian man in men's 100m and 200m disciplines.
Darshika Abeywickrama also spelt as either Dharshika Abeywickrama or Darshika Abeywickrema is a Sri Lankan netball player who plays in the positions of goal defense or goalkeeper. She is nicknamed "Bale".
Thambu Nelka Shiromala also known as Nelka Shiromala Thampu is a Sri Lankan police officer, boxing referee and former national boxer. Nelka is widely regarded as the first Sri Lankan female boxing referee. She has officiated in several local and international boxing matches as referee. She was also selected by the International Olympic Committee as one of the referees for the boxing competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She is regarded as one of the early pioneers of the women's boxing in Sri Lanka when it was originally introduced in the country in 2000s. She is nicknamed as "queen of the ring" in the boxing arena.
Mahesh Priyamal Jayakody, also known as Mahesh Jayakodi or Priyamal Jayakodi, is a Sri Lankan a para-rower and a soldier. He made his debut Paralympic appearance representing Sri Lanka at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. He is the first Sri Lankan rower to compete at the Paralympics.
Suresh Ranjan Dharmasena, also known as DSR Dharmasena, is a Sri Lankan wheelchair tennis player. He became a Paralympic competitor after sustaining injuries in the civil war. He made his first Paralympic appearance representing Sri Lanka at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Radhika Hettiarachchi is a Sri Lankan rugby union player and coach. He captained both Sri Lanka national rugby union team and Sri Lanka national rugby sevens team. He is regarded as one of the finest rugby sevens players to have emerged from Sri Lanka and he is also nicknamed as Iron Man of Sri Lanka Rugby.
Sri Lanka competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England from 28 July to 8 August 2022. This was Sri Lanka's 17th appearance at the Commonwealth Games.
Nilani Ratnayake also spelt as Nilani Rathnayake or Nilani Rathnayaka is a Sri Lankan steeplechaser. She is the first and only Sri Lankan female steeplechase runner ever in history to have completed running the 3000 meters steeplechase in less than under 10 minutes. She is currently attached with the Sri Lanka Army.
Pradeep Somasiri is a Sri Lankan para middle-distance runner.
Nuwan Indika Gamage also spelt as Nuwandika Indika is a Sri Lankan para sprinter and long jumper. He served in the Sri Lanka Light Infantry which is considered as the oldest regiment in the Sri Lanka Army.
Lakshini Sarangi Silva Sandaradura, also known as Sarangi de Silva, is a Sri Lankan track and field athlete who has specialized in long jump. She also works as a banker at Seylan Bank. She is the current national title holder in women's long jump in Sri Lanka and is also a current national record holder in the women's long jump with a career best leap of 6.65 meters.
Mohomed Shamil Mukthar Wakeel is a Sri Lankan professional squash player. He is also employed at Brandix. He studied at the D. S. Senanayake College.
