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Commonwealth Games silver medalist weightlifter Romesh Asiri Silva died yesterday (Dec. 07) after an illness. The 20-year-old had been ailing for some days, and a postmortem examination at Kegalle Hospital will determine the cause of death. Romesh won silver in the over 105 kg (junior) category at the 2009 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.
| Till fate decreed otherwise |
| By Dayawansa Withanachchi - From Nation.lk http://www.nation.lk/2009/12/13/sports5.htm A boy from St. Mary’s College, Kegalle, Ramesh Asiri Jayachandra de Silva, got through his A/L exam and was studying for the Institute of Chartered Accountants, intermediate level. He had an inborn talent for sports and along with his studies; he took to athletics at the age of 14. At the age of 17 years he switched to weightlifting and right from the start he had shown great aptitude for the sport. Fortunately Badra Pushparanjanie, Sports Officer Kegalle District Training Centre, recognised his passion and enthusiasm for weightlifting and made arrangements for RN Wickramasinghe of the Sports Ministry to come once a week to Kegalle and train him according to a scientific schedule with the proper guidance. This combination proved to be a fruitful one and Asiri, within a very short time, developed high levels of skill and showed great promise. From the year 2006 onwards he started to enjoy startling successes at the sport but still continued to be the same simple boy not allowing fame to affect his humble nature. He never uttered a word about his achievements but painstakingly continued his rigorous training. If only the iron wheels he lifted could speak, they would testify to the agony his body underwent and the anguish in his mind with every snatch and lift as he relentlessly strived for excellence. Finally he experienced the ecstasy when he had his hour of glory at the Junior Commonwealth Games in February this year in Malaysia. Asiri won the silver medal in the over 105kg weight category with a lift of 255kgs. It was fitting reward indeed for this poor 20-year-old rural youth who worked so hard for fame. On his return to Sri Lanka, Asiri did not rest on his laurels but returned to his weightlifting routine. Early this month he was at Reid Avenue training with the South Asian Games (SAG) pool where the Sports Ministry provided food and lodging facilities. All of a sudden he had complained that he was having fever. As he was attached to the Sri Lanka Navy voluntary force an officer swiftly responded and had him admitted to the Hospital. Then, instead of undergoing proper treatment, he got discharged from the hospital against medical advice and returned home to Kegalle. He had thereafter seen a doctor and after a blood test the doctor has said the report was normal. That night his condition had taken a turn for the worse and he was admitted to the Kegalle National Hospital. He spent three days at Kegalle Hospital but sadly his mentor Badra said, “No one informed me of his serious condition. His coach, Wickramasinghe phoned me and said that necessary action must be taken immediately. I spoke to a few friends of his and they said that as his condition was normal they didn’t want to inform me. Somehow one of his friends had visited him and informed that Asiri was in a critical condition and a few hours later I came to know that he had breathed his last at the hospital.” His coach Wickremasinghe had predicted that at the forthcoming SAG, a Gold medal was a certainty for Asiri. But this was not to be. The cruel hand of fate decreed otherwise. Asiri’s achievements l 2006 − U-17 over 94kgs Championship, lifted 170 kgs l 2006 − Over 105kgs at Junior National Weightlifting Championship l 2007 − Over 105kgs at Sri Lanka Amateur Weightlifting C’ship won first place, lifted 185 kgs l 2007 − Over 105kgs at weightlifting intermediate level C’ship won 1st place, lifted 195 kgs l 2007 − At 33rd National Sports Meet organised by Sports Ministry, Over 105kgs won third place, lifted 211kgs l 2007 − Over 105kgs at National Weightlifting C’ship won 2nd place, lifted 231kgs l 2007 − Over 105kgs at South Asian Power Building contest in Chennai, India won the South Asian C’ship, lifted 225kgs l 2008 − Over 105kgs at Junior National Weighlifting won 1st place, lifted 240kgs l 2008 − Over 105kgs at National Weightlifting C’ship won 3rd place, lifted 238kgs l 2009 − Open weight category at 35th Grand National Sports Festival at Polonnaruwa won 2nd place, lifted 251kgs l 2009 − Over 105kgs at Junior Commonwealth Games in Malaysia won Silver Medal, lifted 255kgs. |
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