Gomes pursues dream of going for boxing gold in 2022 Commonwealth Games

Sports
By Editor_1
BASL President Dian Gomes (centre) flanked by vice president Wasantha Kumara (left) and secretary Lt Col (Rtd) Hemantha Weerasinghe at a press conference in Colombo recently
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By A Special Correspondent

Dian Gomes has rekindled his dream of winning a gold medal in boxing by unveiling a four-year plan when he began his third term as President of the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) a week ago.

Buoyed by the success at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games where Sri Lanka won three bronze medals, after a hiatus of 68 years, including a maiden success by a woman pugilist,  Anusha Kodituwakku, the BASL President is targeting gold at the 2022 Birmingham Games. There is also the Asian Games and 2024 Olympic Games in Paris to aim for.

Sri Lanka boxing has a proud record of winning 41 medals, including nine gold and 15 silver, as elite men and women boxers took part in the 35 international tournament, while youth pugilists won five medals including three silver during the last four years.

The renaissance in boxing did not happen overnight. It took time, effort, commitment and inspirational leadership of the BASL to bring the game to its present level.

For a sport that has been vilified and maligned by some and adored and revered by others, boxing has risen phoenix-like in Sri Lanka over the past few years. Professional administration, grass-root coaching and international exposure have been the cornerstone of this resurgence, and at the helm of this concerted effort has been a man now synonymous with inspirational leadership – Dian Gomes.

Gomes speaks of the commitment of his team as the sole reason for the renaissance of the sport, humbly crediting his success to a sixth sense which helps him identify talent. “Getting the right people for the right job is the key to success, be it in business or in sports administration – it is the right team that produces the best results,” he stated.

His executive team speaks volumes for his strategy of working with the best. Former Chief of Defence Staff, reputed Stubbs Shield Best Boxer and Gomes’ team mate at Royal College, General (Rtd) Jagath Jayasuriya, handles the selection. South Asian Games silver medallist and Senior Superintendent of Police, Saman Gunaratne of STF  and former Olympic Coach Wasantha Kumara have joined hands with Gomes’ administration for the first time to function as the Vice Presidents. Former National Champion and ITO (International Technical Official) Lt. Col. (Rtd) Hemantha Weerasinghe will serve as the Secretary of the Association, while former Royal Stubbs Shield champion and banker,Aubrey Peires, will function as the Treasurer. Another former Royal captain, Abdulla Ibunu, is the Assistant Secretary.

Upon taking the reins of the presidency of the BASL in 2017, Gomes and his team immediately embarked on a three-pronged strategy aimed at bringing out the best.

France’s leading Montana Belt tournament held in Paris in April 2017, saw Thiwanka Ranasinghe and Roshan Warnasuriya bringing home two gold medals. In June the same year,  both boxers won two silver medals at the Haringey Box Cup held in London.

The Taipei City Cup held in August 2017 saw a contingent of five boxers taking part. Dinidu Saparamadu won a gold medal, whilst Thiwanka Ranasinghe secured a bronze medal. At the Eindhoven Box cup held in the Netherlands, a contingent of 13 boxers won two gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal. The golds were won by Dinudu Saparamadu and Thiwanka Ranasinghe. And at the Golden Glove International tournament the same boxers won two silver medals,  while Nuwan Amarawansha won a bronze medal.

The XXI Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia saw the participation of six boxers. This event was one of the great achievements for boxing in Sri Lanka. Ishan Bandara and Thiwanka Ranasinghe won two bronze medals for Sri Lanka after 68 years, while Anusha Kodituwakku won a bronze medal and recorded the first Commonwealth women medal for the country.

In the same year Keshani Hansika secured a bronze medal at the 2nd Indonesian Police Commissioner Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia. At the Taipei City Cup in Taiwan two school boxers, P.V.S. Himanjith of S. Thomas’ College and H.M.K.C. Ekanayake of Dheerananda College, Pilimathalawa, won two bronze medals.

Sri Lankan boxers won 11 medals including a gold, two silver and eight bronze medals at the 2019 Kathmandu South Asian Games. The gold medal was won by Romesh Sandakelum,  while two bronze medals were won by Krishmi Dharmmathilaka and Dinesh Maduranga. The Eindhoven Cup held in the Netherlands saw Purnima Jayasuriya and Dhananjaya Weerasinghe winning a silver and a bronze medal respectively. The Kings Cup International tournament held in Sweden saw Sri Lankan youth boxers bringing three silver medals. The medals were won by Vikneswaran Sanujan, Attaab Mannzil and Isuru Hansaja.

Gomes also paved the way for Romesh Sandakelum, Krishmi Dharmathilaka and Dinesh Maduranga to be sent for Olympic selection trials held in Amman, Jordan, at the beginning of this year before the Covid epidemic. These matches were an opportunity of a lifetime to fight the best boxers in the world.

Asked about his plans for this year, Gomes saidthere are several competitions coming up in 2021. “We have the Asian men and women boxing championships followed by the final qualification for the Olympic Games in 2021. Much is expected from the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2020 and South Asian Games in 2022, which has been announced to be held in Lahore, Pakistan.  Every day we are getting closer to our target of winning an Olympic medal and that is the most important thing,” Gomes opined.

-ENCL

Editor_1
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