Sri Lanka Weightlifter and Gold Medalist and first ever female to win a medal for Sri Lanka in Weightlifting in Asian Youth Games and a member of the World Youth and Commonwealth Games Squad for the year 2021 Divya Nethmi Sanjana Wedarachchi has brought honour and glory to her school Ruhunu Vijayaba Vidyalaya, Beliatta and to her motherland.
Divya was born on 9th January 2004 and was admitted one of the prestigious educational institutions in Hambantota District Ruhunu Vijayaba Vidyalaya Beliatta in 2010 when A. H. P. K. Jayantha was at the helm of the school. When Divya was in the Primary Section she did not participate in sports and as she showed an interest and keenness to weightlifting her parents Bhathiya Wedarachchi and Ruvini Wedarachchi encouraged her to take up to weightlifting and handed over their daughter to the Prefect of Games of the school Dinidu Chathuranga in 2016 and she came under Asanga Aravinda her school weightlifting coach.
Her first attempt was in 2017 and at the National Sports Festival organized by the Ministry of Sports and representing the Southern Province in the under 13 age group she won a Bronze Medal in the under 75 age category. Her second medal was in 2018 in the National Novices All Island Meet when she won a Gold Medal in the under 75 weight category and in the same weight in 2018 at the All Island inter school games she won a Silver Medal.
In 2019 at the Southern Province Open Meet in the under 81kgs category she won a Gold Medal and in the All Island Festival in the same category she won a Silver Medal and in the All Island School Games in the under 17 age group and 81kgs weight category she won a Gold Medal and in the same year at the Junior National Meet 81kgs category she grabbed a Gold Medal and at the 2020 National Festival Southern Province Meet she won another gold and with all these performances under her belt she was selected to represent Sri Lanka under 17 youth team for Asian Games held in Uzbekistan and at the 81kgs weight category she won three bronze medals in three separate events and became the first ever girl from Sri Lanka to win a medal at the Youth Asian Games and 56 countries participated.
This tour and the achievements was a fine exposure for Divya and presently she is undergoing strenuous training and preparing for the 2021 World Youth Games and for the Commonwealth Games under her coach Chanaka Subasinghe she had a word of praise for her two Principals Athula Hemantha Ediriwickrama and K. S. Abeyratne for helping her to come up the ladder.
Divya Nethmi Sanjana Wedarachchi posed for a photograph in the airport after winning the first ever medal for Sri Lanka in a Youth Tournament. Divya Nethmi Sanjana Wedaarachchi standing fifth from left in the photograph. (Picture by Dilwin Mendis, Moratuwa Sports Special Correspondent)
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