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| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
General Interest | |
| Injuries | He sustained injuries to his left elbow in 2006 and 2009. (Athlete, 23 Sep 2014) |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, VIC, Australia. (Athlete, 23 Sep 2014) |
| Awards and honours | He was flag bearer for Sri Lanka at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. He carried out the same role at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Republic of Korea, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. (gc2018.com, 01 Jan 2018; Incheon INFO, 19 Sep 2014; yahoo.com, 24 May 2011) He was named Outstanding Sportsperson at the 2010 Sri Lanka National Sports Festival. (dailymirror.lk, 02 Nov 2010) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | RB Wickramasinghe [national] |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He took up the sport in 1996. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2002 |
| Competing for | Sri Lanka |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Languages | English, Sinhala |
General Interest | |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Do or die." (Athlete, 23 Sep 2014) |
| Other information | MOVING UP He made his Commonwealth Games debut in 2002, competing in the 56kg category. He won gold at 62kg at the 2006 Games in Melbourne, VIC, Australia, before claiming silver at 69kg at the 2010 Games in Delhi, India, and he competed at 77kg at the 2018 Games in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. By 2022 he was competing in the 81kg category. "My age is one factor to move higher as it's not good to control weight all the time, which can affect training." (SportsDeskOnline, 19 May 2023; Ceylon Sports, 08 Apr 2018) SANCTION He tested positive for the prohibited substance methylhexaneamine at the 2011 Asian Championships in Anhui, People's Republic of China. He was given a four-year ban by the International Weightlifting Federation [IWF], although this was later reduced to two years after he claimed he had consumed the stimulant unintentionally. "I was shocked as I have never tested positive for a banned substance after being scrupulously tested everywhere I went. I would not have taken the food supplement tablet if I knew it contained a banned substance." (cricturf.com, 01 Nov 2012; dailymirror.lk, 10 Aug 2011; bbc.co.uk, 05 Jun 2011; yahoo.com, 24 May 2011) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Kurunegala, SRI |