It is three months since Ovid Vijitha Wijeyesekera, one of the finest products of Ananda College, passed away after a prolonged illness. In 1957 Ananda College was looking for an athletic coach when my friend, late Lukshman Dissanayake, asked me to join the Ananda College tutorial staff and also coach the athletes of the College. I gladly accepted the offer. Lukshman then introduced Vijitha to me and mentioned that he was the Captain of Athletics of the College.
That is how I met this extraordinary athlete. No sooner had I met him that I noticed the keenness and enthusiasm of this young lad.
At Ananda, Vijitha had a brilliant athletic career becoming the under 10, under 14, and under 16 champion athlete at the Inter House Athletic Meet. In the under 19 age group he had to share the championship in his first year with another fine athlete, Oswald Rajapakshe, in his second year with Nandasiri de Silva and in his final year with Rohana Daluwatte. His records at Ananda include 15.2 in the 120 yds Hurdles (1958), 177ft. 11 ½ inc. in the Javelin (1958) and the Pentathlon.
Victory ceremony after pole vault event, presented by the commandant Major- General G.C Gordon Lennox. Standing on the podium in first place is Vijitha Wijeyesekera, second is an athlete from France, and third one from Belgium. |
At the Junior AAA meet (1957) in the 110m Hurdles he returned a time of 15.9 thus lowering the record held by Trinity’s Lakshman Kadirgamar. As a schoolboy he achieved his long cherished ambition, when in 1957 he became the National Champion in the 110 meters hurdles. In the same year at the Public Schools Meet he established a new record of 15..5s in the 120yds Hurdles event erasing L. Kadirgamar’s previous record. On the strength of his performances he was selected to represent Ceylon at the Triangular Meet held in Bangalore. Although he was placed third in the Hurdles event he equaled the Ceylon record of 16.1 held by P.M. Modder.
Under his captaincy Ananda tied for the runners up position for the Trabat Cup at the Public Schools Meet in 1957. The team made amends by winning the coveted Tarbat Cup in the following year.
The 1958 Junior Meet was memorable for Vijitha. He on the first day improved on Oswald Rajapakse’s Pole Vault best achievement of 10ft. 11inc. to 11ft. 4 ½ inc. and set up a new best performance in the 110m hurdles. At the Nationals he set up a new Ceylon mark of 15.9s erasing the record held by Paul Modder by two tenths of a second and equaling the all comers record held by Rev. Bob Richards of USA. He was awarded the Wilton Bartleet Cup for his brilliant performance in the hurdles. At the Public Schools Meet Vijitha, inspite of his illness helped Ananda to win the Tarbat Cup. As an 18 year old he was selected to represent Ceylon at the Malayan AAA Championships held in Kuala Lumpur. There he won the Pole Vault event with a height of 12 feet and won the 110m Hurdles event.
Vijitha’s crowning glory in 1958 was that he was awarded the Barry Moore award for the Sports Star of the year. He was the youngest athlete to win the contest and the fourth to win the prestigious award. He received this award from another Anandian, Dr. N.M. Perera.
The 1959 National Meet saw him win the hurdles with a new all comers record time of 15.7s which earned him the Wilton Bartleet Cup for the second year as well as the Duncan White trophy for the best track event.
Vijitha even as a schoolboy was interested in Athletics in Ceylon. He used to discuss with me the need for more athletic clubs for the country and also the promotion of athletics in the provinces. He pedalled on his bicycle to Lake House to persuade Mr. Carlton Seneviratne to form a new athletic club. The end result was that in November 1958 the Ceylonese track and Field Club was formed. The Club staged several dual meets in outstation areas. At these meets the Club was able to unearth young talent who later represented Ceylon in athletics.
At the end of 1959 he was selected to go to Sandhurst as a cadet in the Army. There he recorded his personal best when he clocked 15.4s in the 110m Hurdles event in the Southern Counties Championships. He competed for Sand Hurst against the French, Dutch and Belgian Military Academies held in Paris and won two gold medals in the 110m Hurdles and the Pole Vault events.
In sis first appearance on returning to Ceylon he clipped 5 seconds off the existing 110m Hurdles record held by E.M.D.M. Perera.
At the Jakarta 1962 Asian Games trials he bettered the 23 year old Pole Vault record held by A.C.Dep. On the strength of his performance he was selected to represent Ceylon at the Jakarta Asian Games.
He went on to improve his 110m Hurldes record to 15.1 in 1964. He won the National title for three consecutive years from 1962 and again in 1966.
He was the National Decathlon Champion on two occasions and he held the record for the event.
He was a founder member of the Sri Lanka Veterans’ Athletic Association. As a veteran athlete he won the Gold medal in the 110 meter Hurdles event at the Masters Games in Tokyo.
In 1969 he married Anoja Samarakkody. After leaving the Army he lived in England. There he qualified as an accountant. During his stay in England he did yeoman’s service to the London Buddhist Vihara.
Vijitha and Anoja raised two beautiful daughters Samanthi and Ruwani. They were a close knit family. Even with his disability he attended Samanthi’s wedding.
Vijitha was a generous human being. He always shared his knowledge with other athletes. He was an inspiration to the younger athletes. Anoja has lost a devoted husband. And Samanthi and Ruwani a loving father. Personally I have lost an exemplary pupil and a sincere friend. May his journey through Samasara be short and happy.
K.L.F. Wijedasas |
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