‘Jira’ the sprint king from Kandy
Meeting Tilak Buwenakumara Jirasinha (Jira) after 40 years brought back memories of Central Province and Public Schools sprinters Charles Nayagam, Farisz Jiffry, Prins Nayagam and a host of others too numerous to mention. Jirasinha (Jira to all his friends) held sway at that time with his powerful running in the 100, 200 and 400 meters at these meets in the 60’s.
Not only did Jira excel in sprints. He also played rugby for Trinity in the company of greats such as Mohan Sahayam, M.T.M. Zaruk, Glen Vanlangenberg, ‘Gogi’ Tillekeratne, ‘Mark’ Suderalingam, Irwin Howie, Ifthikar Hamid and Sri Lanka skipper Ajit Abeyratne to name but a few.
Tilak Buwenakumara Jirasinha.
He was also a speedster at Central Province Schools Athletic Meets winning the sprint events on a platter. He recalls that most of the other sprinters hailed from schools such as St. Anthony’s Katugastota and Maliyadeva Kurunegala. Whenever the announcement went that Jirasinha was to run spectators would hold their breaths, invariably a powerful burst was in store.
Jira also had a penchant for cadetting and rose as a senior and junior sergeant in this field. He was also a crack shot bagging the title several times in Diyatalawa. He however regrets that he could not join the Army.
“Those were the days,” recalled Jira. He is now doing some work for Nerds Technology involved in low cost housing, producing ‘components for slabs.’
His runs for success brought him Public Schools Athletic Colours competing against the top schools in the island. He also won his rugby colours as well as his athletic colours from Trinity when he wound up his schools rugby career in 1967, he was Trinity’s deputy skipper in rugby..
In 1968 whilst studying at Pembroke Academy in Colombo he turned out for the CR&FC at rugby playing in the distinguished company of greats such as ‘Ali’ Ratnapala of Royal, Eric Roles, Didacus de Almeida and the rugby cousins Russel and Ian Geddes.
He was keen on following a Diploma in Agriculture which took him to the School of Agriculture at Kundasale where he was undisputed sprint champion for two years in-a-row bagging the 100 and200 metre sprint events as well as the 400m relay on a platter.
Ultimately he passed off with a Diploma in Agriculture excelling in seed coconut saplings.
His love for athletics however did not diminish. He took over as coach of the Udugampola Paranavitana MV in Udugampola which is not far from his residence at Gampaha and continued coaching these youngsters for a long time.
Jira takes pride in being a Trinitian. His father Reginald and grandfather too had been at Trinity when boxer Odayar held sway for Trinity. All members of the Jirasinha family had been boarders and all of them hailed from the boarding house Alison.
As time went by he had entered into wedlock with Mallika Senaratne, an all-round athlete and sportswoman at Methodist College and they have three children – two sons and a girl. His son Sanjaya is now attached to EMIRATES in Dubai (UAE). Sanjaya captained S.Thomas’ Mt. Lavinia at athletics doing well in the 100, 200 and 400 sprint events. His second son Shanaka attended Trinity and is now attached to Union Assurance as an IT Operator. His daughter Suhani is presently following a Masters Diploma in Information Technology.
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