Special Athletics Grass Root Development Programme

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Champions are not born but nurtured through propper guidance, dedication and hard work. Mr. Yasarohana De Silva is the head athletics coach for the Puttalam District. He has initiated a special programme to grow the young boys and girls from the villages to International Stardom. Fitness & Sports is proud to show the spotlight on this innovative programme that grows our rural talent to become international athletes and accomplished individuals.

Due to the current shortage of top class athletes, Mr. Yasarohana saw potential in the boys and girls from the villages in the Puttalam district that came under him. This programme has two parts. It aims to train the local coaches in the respective villages so they can return and instruct their trainees better. Mr. Yasarohana’s team also trains the young athletes from the villages directly to ensure they continue to train correctly when they return home. The emphasis is on grooming the rural talent to continuously better their peformance.

The programme which began in July 2013 is split into 3 categories:

Throws (Javelin, Put Shot, Discus)

The throws coach is Mr. Bonifus Appuhamy who has 35 years of coaching in the Department of Education. He has coached many former national champions in throwing.

Jumping:

High Jump: The high jump coach is Mr. Joseph Nixon Fernando. He has produced champions at the school nationals. His trainees have been record holders. He counts 23 year of coaching experience. Mr. Fernando is a former 3000 metre steeple chase champion in 1990/1991.

Long Jump: Mr. Roshan Priyantha is the long jump coach for the programme. He is a former National record holder for the decathlon(10 track and field events) in 2001. He is a former record holder and placed 6th in the Asian Championships in 2002. In 2008 he was the National 110 metre Hurdles Champion.

Track

This comes under Mr. Yasarohana himself. The track events are 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 110m and 400m hurdles.

There are 50 children between the ages of 14 years and 20 years in the programme. It is conducted every month during the weekend. Currently it is a day’s session but the plan is to have it for the whole weekend so the kids can learn more.

The Training

The session starts at 8 a.m at the grounds and at 10 a.m they have a break where they can absorb what they have learnt, take their lunch and then come back for the afternoon session at 3 p.m which finishes at 5pm. The training sessions are very physically intense which is why the rest periods are long to give enough time for recovery and to absorb the coaching. During the recovery period the coaches talk to the children about their individual workout plans and also motivate them. This recovery time is also used to train the local coaches.

The Puttalam District, a Home of past Champions

The Puttalam district has produced many international level athletes. Such as

Sunil Gunarwardhena (100m & 200m)
Bruno Fernando (High Jump)
Dervin Perera (400m)
Ravindra Kumar Fernando (400m)
Hilary Perera (100m)
Jani Chaturangani (100m & 200m) Chandrika Subhashini (100m & 200m)
V Ratnakumara (400m & 800m)

Out of the team of 6 athletes that ran in the Sydney Olympics 4 athletes were from the Puttalam district. This shows that this district is certainly not short in talent for athletics.

Good support from the ministry of sports

Funding for this programme has come from the Sports Development programme from the Ministry of Sports. Mr. Yasarohana commends the ministry for supporting this initiative. The funds obtained are used to pay the coaches, provide lunch to the children as well as to help them meet their travel expense.

The Way Forward

Mr. Yasarohana believes that if the sessions are extended to another day it will make a big difference to the training as more ground can be covered. Also special training is further needed such as beach running and hill running. This will be very beneficial for the kids to get stronger.

Currently gym facilities for athletics training in this district are not available. Weight training is now a staple for all sports training as a stronger athlete is a better athlete. So the incorporation of weightlifting facilities in the district will also further enhance the standards of these young boys and girls who have the potential to win medals for the country.

This programme can be introduced to other districts as well. This will nurture the talent from the grass root up to the international meets. The village athletes of today can become the Olympic champions of tomorrow.

The Voice Of The Young Athletes

B.M Harshini Prabodha 16 years Triple Jump

Achievements: U 18 John Tarbet(Public Schools) Triple Jump Record Holder 2014: 11.98 metres

I started athletics when I was 12 years old. I have learnt a lot from joining this programme. The coaches guide us well and my jumps are improving a lot. My goal is to qualify for the U-18 Asian Youth Championship in Qatar this May.

W. Brian Rajitha Malshan 19 years Javelin

Achievements: 2014, John Tarbet (Public Schools) 1st Place, All Island 2nd Place.

My goal is to participate in the next South Asian Games. I find the coaches here very encouraging. I look forward to coming to this programme for training.
S.R Prabodini Nuanjala 15 years Event: 100m, 200m, Long Jump

Achievements:2014 John Tarbet(Public Schools) 1st Place for the 200m. 2nd Place for the 100m & Long Jump. 2013, John Tarbat 1st Place in long jump. All Island 3rd place for the long jump.

I want to compete in the coming Asian Youth Championships in Qatar. Participating in this programme continues to improve my abilities.
C. Anisha Dilshani Fernando 17 years Discus

Achievements: 2014, All Island, John Tarbet (Public Schools) and Junior Nationals 1st Place for the discus. I did the same in 2013.

I began training since I was 13 years old. There is a lot to learn from the coaches in this programme. They do their best to build us to become better athletes. My goal is to break the Sri Lanka record for the discus in 2018.