Champion boxer Percy Fernando passes away
Veteran boxer, national athlete and former Senior Deputy Commissioner of Prisons Services Department, Percy E.P. Fernando passed away at his residence in Kohuwela on Wednesday. He was 88 years old at the time of his demise.
A former student of St. Peter’s College and Zahira College, Fernando was a versatile athlete who was equally competent in athletics, boxing, cricket and tennis since his young age.
Fernando represented Sri Lanka at the Asia Pacific Boxing Championship held in Rangoon, Burma in 1957 and won the bronze medal in the lightweight category. He was the national champion in lightweight class during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
He also represented Sri Lanka in athletics and won medals in 5000m walking, triple jump and long jump events. He joined the Prisons Services Department in 1957 as a Grade II Jailor and retired as the Senior Deputy Commissioner.