Former Sri Lanka Wushu Sanda competitor, seven times national champion consecutively in under 75 kgs weight category and two times gold medalist at the South Asian Wushu Championship and the only individual to win a medal (bronze) from South Asia in Wushu Sanda World Cup in Guanshou, China, a coach under Sri Lanka Huangshi Wushu Association, a national Wushu Judge in 2012 and 2013, a vice president of the Sri Lanka Wushu Federation and Chinese Martial Arts Training and Developing Academy and presently Wushu coach at Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa, Elvis Vancuylenberg spoke to the Daily News at his residence 1/253, Gangarama Road, Thumbowila, Piliyandala.
Q. Can you tell something briefly about yourself and your family?
A. My full name is Elvis Nishantha Vancuylenberg and I was born on 28 September 1972. My father is Clarence Shelton Vancuylenberg and he served in the Ports Authority and my mother is Vijitha Gomes, a housewife. I am the only child in the family. My father is from Avissawella and my mother is from Moratuwa and after their marriage they took up residence at Moratuwa.
Q. What is your first school?
A. Methodist School, Rawatawatte and I entered this school from grade one and in 1983 I joined Prince of Wales' College when M. E. C. Fernando was at the helm. I did athletics at Methodist School and I entered University of Colombo when H. L. B. Gomes was the principal.
Q. Did you do any sports at school?
A. Whilst at Methodist School I did running events and at Prince of Wales I did field events and I took part only at the school sports meets. In addition I played for the Under 13 cricket team under Manoj Mendis and under 15 team under Vishvanath Fernando.
Q.Did you continue playing cricket?
A. No. My mother insisted me to study and come up in life.
Q. Did you enter the university?
A. Yes. My ambition was to become a doctor but I was selected to the Bio Science stream and I was able to graduate in Bio Science.
Q. Did you do sports at the University?
A. Not seriously. But I took part in the Inter University athletic meets in field events and got places. I was also in the wrestling team and we won an Inter University Championship once.
Q. What is your present employment?
A. I was graduated in Bachelor of Science and recently completed Master in Science in Food and Nutrition at the University of Kelaniya. I am attached to Medihelp Hospital (Pvt) Ltd., Horana.
Q. How do you commence your Wushu career?
A. I was interested in watching the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and I got interested and later attended a private Wushu class conducted at Buddhist Hall, Moratuwa and my first coach was Nayananda Edirisinghe.
Q. Did you participate in Wushu competitions?
A. I participated in Wushu national championship in 1996 and I won the All Round championship in Wushu Taolu events and I seven times successively became the national champion under 75kgs from 1996 to 2004.
Q. When was your first International meet?
A. In 2000 at the first South Asian Wushu Sanda Championship I won a gold medal and I was the first to do so for my country and at the second South Asian Championship in New Delhi, India.
I won a gold medal for Wushu Sanda in the same weight category. In 2004 I won a bronze medal at the World Cup in Guanshou, China in Wushu Sanda under 75kgs.
Again in 2006 representing the country at the SAARC Games in Colombo I won a silver losing to a Pakistani. In 2012 in the under 18 - 40 age category I won a silver medal at the World Traditional Wushu Championship in Huanshou, China.
Q. When did you commence coaching?
A. From year 2000 I started coaching initially at Moratuwa and Kalutara and Piliyandala under Sri Lanka Huangshi Wushu Association which I was a member. In 2007 I met Dilwin Mendis and he requested me to commence coaching at my old school Prince of Wales'. I readily agreed and he took me to the then principal Ratnaweera Perera and he gave permission to start wushu at school and to train young Cambrians. Since then I am coaching my alma mater free of charge to-date.
Q. Who are the students produced by you during the last decade?
A. There are several and among them which comes to my mind are Viraj Denuka, Janitha Ranmal, Sandaru Iranjana, Sameera Maduwantha, Rashitha Vimukthi, Tharusha Gimhan and my son Pathum Poorna Vancuylenberg who is selected to represent Sri Lanka in the under 15 category at the 9th South Asian Wushu Championship which is to be worked off in South Korea from 14 September.
Q. Are you holding any position in the Wushu Association?
A. I was a wushu Judge in 2011 and 2012 and at present a vice president of the Sri Lanka Wushu Federation and a member of the Chinese Martial Arts Training and Developing Academy. There are more than fifty such associations and this is one of the oldest.
Q. What is the advice you can give to the young wushu students?
A. The game of wushu is a good exercise for the whole body and any one will learn patience and take the defeat at the same time. He will also get a good stamina.
Q. Being a coach and a nutritionist what is the advice you can give?
A. As a nutritionist my advice and intention is to help not only wushu players but any sportsman.
Q. How many children do you have?
A. I have only one son Pathum Poorna and my wife is Nishadi Chathurika Jayawardene is a housewife.
She is a tower of strength in all these activities and her support and guidance has helped me to come up the ladder.
I must not forget my parents especially my mother who was always behind me and toiled very hard to bring me up in life.
Note: Elvis can be contacted on 0777702201
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