Naval weight lifters bring glory to Sri Lanka

Naval Sportsmen representing Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Champioship-2009 in Malaysia returned to the Island with two Silver and one Bronze medal. On the directions of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe,  the Director General Operations Rear Admiral SAMJ Perera received them upon their arrival at the Bandaranayake International Air Port yesterday (24th October 2009). The Naval sports heroes were accorded a traditional welcome by the Naval cultural troupe.  Director Naval Welfare Commodore MS Silva, Senior Staff Officer Sports Commander BMKK Basnayaka, Chairman Navy Weightlifting Committee Lieutenant Commander TNS Perera and officials from the Sri Lanka Sports Ministry were also present at the occasion.

Naval ratings DMEC Dissanayaka and UHRAJ de Silva won silver in the 62Kg and over 105Kg weight class events respectively while DRMM Ellepola won Bronze in the 69 kg weight class event. The Championship was held in Penang, Malaysia from 18th to 23rd October 2009 with many weightlifters from Commonwealth countries taking part. This is the first time Naval weight lifters have won medals at an international event. The Commonwealth Championships is one of the most important sporting events in the world.

Since the completion of the war against terror, Sri Lanka Navy sports have achieved unparallel success in the sports arena. The men and women in blue have brought glory not only for the Navy but also to mother Lanka as well.