South Asian Games 2010 is just a week away and the Sri Lankan teams are hard at practice to make their motherland proud. The Badminton team which was finally selected for the Games comprises of top shuttlers with previous South Asian Games experience such as Niluka Karunarathne, Thilini Jayasinghe and Chandrika de Silva.
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The Sri Lanka National men’s and women’s badminton team along with the officials who will participate in the up coming 11th South Asian Games which will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Picture by Ranjith Jayaweera |
Newly crowned women's champion Achini Ratnasiri and the new men's doubles champions Hasith Chanaka and R.S Dahanayake are also part of the 12 member squad which is going to leave the island soon. Promising young star Nuwan Hettiarachchi and girls champion Lekha Shehani are new additions for the squad which displays a fine blend of youth and experience and is expected to perform well in the upcoming Games. According to the team manager Sqr. Leader Amal Dias although Sri Lanka will face tough competition from their Indian counterpart they are expected to at least win a single gold medal. Sri Lanka managed to win the Silver medal in the team event at the last edition of the South Asian games which was held in Sri Lanka in 2006.
The full team is as follows.
Men: Niluka Karunaratne, Dinuka Karunaratne, Nuwan Hettiarchchi, Diluka Karunaratna, R.S. Dahanayake, Hasitha Chanaka.
Women : Thilini Jayasingha, Chandrika de Silva, Achini Ratnasiri, Lekha Shehani, Nadeesha Gayathri, Upuli Samanthika Weerasingha.
Coach - K.S Pushpakumara
Manager - Sqr. Leader Amal Dias
Niluka Karunaratne 
24 years - Men's Singles, Mixed doubles
He is Sri Lanka's best bet in Badminton for the upcoming Games. Niluka has won the national singles Championship for nine consecutive times since 2001. Niluka represented Sri Lanka in the SAG 2006 and 2004. In 2006 in the team finals match a 20 year old Niluka lost to India's Champion Chetan after three gruelling sets of intense stroke play. Niluka who studied at Royal College Colombo 7, also won a Bronze medal in the 2004 edition of SAG.
In the year 2010 Niluka displayed his dominance by winning the Mercantile Singles, SSC open and the senior National titles. Niluka also won the Senior Nationals mixed doubles championship along with the experienced Chandrika de Silva. Niluka is currently employed at Seylan Bank.
Achini Ratnasiri 
16 years - Women's Singles, Women's Doubles
Achini created history when she won the Women's Singles championship by beating veteran Chandrika de Silva. She also won the Women's Doubles title along with her doubles partner who were also won the gold medal in the Asian Junior Badminton tournament in 2009. Achini who is currently ranked number 1 in rankings is one of Sri Lanka's brightest prospects for the future. She likes to play the defensive game to tire her opponent and uses the drop shot and the fake smash to gain points. She currently studies at Visaka Vidyalaya and this is her maiden SAG.
Rajitha S. Dahanayake
The 16 year old Rajitha was part of the team which won the silver medal in 2006 SAG.
After his first South Asian Games experience R.S has improved immensely and matured as a player and is one half of the new men's doubles champions. He is an old boy of Dharmaraja College Kandy.
Nuwan Hettiarachchi
A youngster who has shown lot of promise and easily is the best player in the schools arena. Nuwan who currently studies at Ananda College, Colombo was crowned the triple champion at the Junior Nationals in 2009. He also won a triple crown at the all island age group 2009 tournament. Due to his impressive performances Nuwan was awarded 'The most outstanding Badminton Player of the Year 2009' by Sri Lanka Badminton Association.
Diluka Karunaratne
23 years - Men's Doubles
Diluka along with his brother Dinuka were the runners up in the men's doubles event of the Senior Nationals tournament 2009. An attacking player like his brother Niluka, he likes to play the smash shot and uses it to good effect.
He represented Sri Lanka in the 10th SAG 2006 in Colombo and was part of the team which won the Silver medal. Diluka combined with Dinuka won the men's doubles events in the Mercantile tournament and in the SSC open 2009. He too is an employee of Seylan Bank.
Upuli Samanthika
15 years - Women's Doubles
Upuli who is a student of Sirimavo Bandaranayake Vidyalaya is Achini's doubles partner. She has had an impressive 2009 as she won the women's doubles championship at the senior nationals 2009.Upuli would be participating in her first SAG.
Chandrika de Silva 
35 years - Women's Singles, Women's Doubles, Mixed Doubles
She is Sri Lanka's most experienced badminton player and has taken part in many international tournaments. She has won the women's championship several times and in 2009 Chandrika was dethroned by young sensation Achini Ratnasiri at the Senior Nationals. An old girl of Swarnapali Balika M.V, Anuradhapura, Chandrika has won 2 silver medals and 6 Bronze medals in 2006 and 2004 SAG. She is also the current women's doubles champion along with her partner Nadeesha Gayanthi who is also part of the team. Chandrika also won the mixed doubles championship along with top seed Niluka Karunaratne. She currently works at Seylan Bank.
Nadeesha Gayanthi
25 years - Women's Doubles
Nadeesha who is another experienced shuttler will take part in her third SAG. She has won a Silver medal at the team event and along with her doubles partner Chandrika, she managed to win a Bronze medal in the women's doubles event. She has also won a Silver medal in the team event of the 2004 SAG.Experienced coach K.S Pushpakumara who is a former national player will act as the team coach for the SAG. Sqr. Leader Amal Dias who is also the Secretary of the Badminton Association will act as the team manager for the Dhaka games.
Lekha Shehani
17 years - Mixed Doubles
Lehka had a fantastic 2009 as she was crowned the triple champion in the Junior National tournament 2009.She bagged the under 19 Singles,Doubles and Mixed Doubles championships and came tantalizingly close to beat Chandrika de Silva in the Women's Singles finals of the SSC Open. Lekha would take part in the Mixed Doubles event along with her doubles partner Dinuka Karunaratne at the upcoming SAG. She is currently studying at Our lady of Victories Convent, Moratuwa.
Dinuka Karunaratne
22 years - Men's Singles, Men's doubles, Mixed doubles
The youngest member of the Karunaratne brothers. Dinuka had an impressive 2009. He was the runner up in the men's singles event at the Senior Nationals which he lost against to his brother Niluka.
Dinuka along with Lekha Shehani fought hard against an experienced duo of Niluka and Chandrika in the Senior Nationals mixed doubles finals but were beaten in a closely contested game. Dinuka an old Royalist will take part in the men's singles, mens doubles and mixed doubles events. He was also a part of the team which won the Silver medal in 2006. Presently works at Hatton National Bank.
Thilini Jayasinghe 
25 years - Women's Singles
Thilini was the first women shuttler to represent Sri Lanka in the Olympic Games. She was also the captain of the Sri Lankan team for the World Mixed team championships held in China.
Thilini who is an old girl of Mahamaya College, Kandy was part of the team which won the Silver medal in the SAG 2006. She currently works at Sampath Bank as a Junior executive.
Hasitha Chanaka
25 years - Men's doubles
An old boy of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda Hasitha Chanaka along with his doubles partner R.S Dahanayake scored a shock win over top seeds Diluka and Dinuka Karunarathne in the men's doubles final at the Senior Nationals 2009 and were crowned the new men's doubles champions. He would be take parting in his 1st South Asian Games. Hasitha who is a cricketer as well was the opening partner of Sri Lankan National opener Upul Tharanga at school level.
He is also an undergraduate at the Jayawardenepura University and is presently employeed at Sampath Bank.
(www.dailynews.lk)
