Foundation of Goodness powers top SL Junior sprinter
Last year’s Sri Lankan top girl junior sprinter, Amasha de Silva has been sponsored by the Foundation of Goodness for a season of training and competition in Australia.
The Foundation of Goodness, which was established by Kushil Gunasekara, has been doing many social welfare services to uplift rural life, with the help of leading cricketers such as Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan.
Apart from developing cricket in the North and the Eastern provinces, FOG has been sponsoring other sports and they are now helping young sprinter Amasha from Swarnamali Girls College Kandy.
Amasha, has clocked several impressive timings during competitions in the State of Victoria, clocking times of 11.66 seconds, 11.90 seconds and 11.94 seconds in the 100M and has won the bronze medal last week during the Victoria ‘Coles AV State Track & Field Championships.’ She is now competing in 200m during the same championship where she will compete in the semi finals tomorrow (Sunday 10th)
FOG is an example for several leading Sri Lankan companies, who are reluctant to sponsor the country’s’ athletics despite the SL junior athletes breaking records in the international arena.
Amasha, who trained under Sanjeewa Weerakkody, was the brightest Sri Lankan female prospect in sprinting last year where she won four gold medals in the South Asian Junior Athletics Championship (100M, 200M, 4x100M, and 4x400M).
She then won silver medals in both the 100m and 200m during the Asian Junior Championship in Japan; qualifying for the World Junior Championship by becoming the first SL female sprinter to win an Asian Junior Medal since Susanthika Jayasinghe and Damayanthi Dharsha in 1994 .
Following the World Junior Championship Amasha had to face the Advance level exam and is now expecting to join the University of Sri Jayawardhanapura to do a degree in Sports Management.
The Sri Lanka Athletics Association is keeping a close eye on Amasha’s progress as her timing will be vital for Sri Lanka when it comes to the 4x100m relay, during the Asian Championship as well as South Asian Games where Sri Lanka will be out to defend their title.
