Achini Ratnasiri, heir apparent to the Badminton Crown

At just 15 years Achini Ratnasiri has made a tremendous impact in the local Badminton scene. To say that this Lindsay Girls school student is loaded with immense talent would be to make the greatest understatement ever. Also to this slip of a girl, reputations of her opponents matters very little as she displayed in the semi-finals of the recently concluded National Championship when she outsmarted Tillini Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka’s sole representative at the Beijing Olympics in Badminton.

Achini was first introduced to the Badmintion court by her sister, also a talented player. She was soon to be an integral part of her school's Badminton team right from the under 10 level where she displayed immense dexterity and a wide array of both attacking and defensive shots to help her school become champs in the all-island school's meet. Her amazing talent and court craft can be gauged from the fact that from 2003 to 2008 she has won the Junior Nationals in the U-11, U-13 and U-15 levels singles as well as the doubles titles with her regular partner Upuli Samanthika.

Venturing to the senior Nationals in 2007 Achini then just 14 years of age did creditably well to come to the quarter finals where she lost to the ultimate singles champ Chandrika de Silva. She went one better when she and her doubles partner Upuli Samanthika clinehed the runner-up spot in the women's doubles.

Also in 2007, playing in the Ariyadasa Silva Memorial Meet Achini went on to bag 5 titles winning the U-14 singles and mixed doubles titles with Rakitha Perera. The open singles and women's doubles with Upuli and the mixed doubles with R.S. Dhanayake. 2008 also saw Achini annex the Triple Crown at the Junior Nationals winning the singles, Womens doubles and the mixed doubles titles.

Then in the Nationals Achini after dispatching Olympian Tillini Jayasinghe ended up as runner up to Chandrika de Silva. She also went on to help her school become champions in the U-19 all island schools tournament Achini has also represented Sri Lanka at Junior and Senior level starting with the "Cheers You" tournament in 2006 held in Singapore where she displayed her talents combining with Upuli Samanthika to lift the silver medal in the women's doubles. In 2008 she also represented Sri Lanka at the Junior Commonwealth Youth Games held in India, the world Junior meet also held in India, the U-16 Asian Junior meet at Brunei and the Uber cup Meet in Vietnam.

Achini trains Monday to Saturday with Wednesday off, mostly at the Royal Sports complex and her stupendous talents have been fine turned by 3 coaches namely Sirimal Aponso her first coach and Chintake Fernando, her school coach and also by Pradeep Welagedera the National Coach.

She is extremely grateful to her parents, sister, her Principal, Ms Eroasha de Silva her teacher in charge at school, all other teachers and friends for the extreme support they give her to advance day by day in her chosen sport which has brought her to the limelight. In conclusion she said that given adequate training, she is confident that she would be able to reach Asian Standards in the not too distant future.(http://www.dailymirror.lk)