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8th October 2000

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Wasantha excels in Stuttgart

Wasantha De Silva represented South Asia who finished runners-up in the overall Team event at the recently concluded Mercedes Benz World Final 2000 played in Stuttgart, Germany.

Wasantha with two round aggregate score of 72 stabledford points was also the 1st runner-up in the individual event in the Handicap category 11-20.

The World Finals 2000 was conducted at the Domane Niederreutin and Stuttgart's oldest and best known Golf Club "Solitude". Two extremely interesting Golf Courses where 72 Amateur Golfers who qualified for the finals out of a total 40,000 guests from 27 nations taking part at 500 Golf Clubs on all the continents in the Mercedes Benz World-Wide Golf fiesta.

The 8 members who qualified from the Asian Finals in Brisbane, Australia formed two teams as South Asia and East Asia. Thus out of a total of 18 Teams South Asia ranked overall 2nd with a total of 298 points being runners-up to the overall winners Latina with 303 points. Sri Lanka's Wasantha De Silva playing off a 20 Handicap contributed 72 points to the South Asia Team.

Wasantha with his 72 points was 1st runner-up to Jorge Jimenez of Latina playing off a 18 Handicap who scored 80 points in the B Division individual race.

The philosophy of the Mercedes Trophy to bring friends from all over the world together for a sporting event come true once more in the year 2000 as the World Finalists met in friendly atmosphere for five days in Stuttgart. People from quite different cultures made new friends when drinking a glass of beer or wine, on the Golf Course or during the activities of the always attractive side programme friendship which will last a lot longer than the Tournament itself. It may have been a coincidence, but the spirit of the Olympic Summer Games which were taking place at the same time in Sydney, was also present on the fairways and greens of the courses where the World finals was played.

Other famous stars from different sports and the liken of Polo Rossi Italy's World-cup Soccer Star playing off a single figure Handicap was 1st runner-up in the A Division up to 10 Handicap with a total of 70 points behind Mathew Pyke of UK.

Results - Team Event - Winners:

(Latina 303 points) - Orville Alleyne, Jorge Jimenez, Chris Richards, Francois Guibourdin.

Runners-up - (South Asia 298 points): Chusak Lestapornpipit (Thailand), Linmao Juna (Taiwan), Haji Mahmod Yakop (Brunei), Wasantha De Silva (Sri Lanka). Individual Handicap 11-20 "B" Division: Jorge Jimenez (Latina 80 points), Wasantha De Silva (Sri Lanka 72 points), Sonny Gohseon (Singapore 71 points), Sam Marafioti (Australia 71 points)


Ashhar clinches rally win with amazing zero debits

Young rally driving ace Ashhar Hameem created history at the recently concluded Ruhunu Motor Sports Club organised by "Eagle Rally - 2000" when he captured the title with an amazing zero debit points.

Hameem partnered by his longstanding navigator Rizmin Razide, completed the entire course exactly on time and reported to all six checkpoints on time earning no debits.

He drove the 72 Kilometre long highly difficult course on his favourite Ford Laser to emerge the clear winner while Razmi Mansoor finished second. Another experienced rally driver Preethi Palliyaguru finished third. The rally which was run from Matara to Koggala was completed by a total of 41 competitors.

Hameem continued his brilliant form and clinched the next rally he took part as well when he emerged as the winner in the highly competitive "Mitsubishi Rally" held a fortnight ago. Once again putting his skills against a top class field of famous drivers of the country such as Dinesh Deheragoda, Allain Hertogs and Upul Perera, Hameem proved his mettle winning the 110 Kilometre course with a mere 24 debit points.

Driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Hameem negotiated the extremely fast rally with magnificent dexterity and was partnered again by navigator Razide.

Dilshad Hamdoon finished runner-up while Anas Mansoor finished third in the rally competed by a field of 47 of the country's cream of rally drivers from Colombo to Wadduwa.

Hailing from Matara, Hameem who is also the Secretary of the Southern Motor Sports Club has a tremendous experience in organising rallies having conducted the famous Marble Decor really and then the Southern Motor Sports Club's Night Rally. He has been the chief organiser, plotter and clerk of course as well on many rallies. Also an excellent road race competitor, Hameem has many victories in the field as a competitor.


Basketball bounces higher and higher

The Sri Lanka Amateur Basketball Federation (SLABF), following the tradition of recognising players and officials who have been instrumental in bringing honour to Sri Lanka and shown keen interest to promote and popularise basketball gave special awards to former Sri Lankan players Elmo Jayawardena, Duncan Jayawardena, Rienzie De Silva and Royden De Silva and to player and promoter Mark Fernando at the final of the Kings Malta Inter-Club Basketball Tournament at the Kings Court Otter Aquatic Club.

According to Malsiri Perera, President SLABF and Col. Vickum Siriwardena, Hony. Secretary, the game will be taken to the outstations. At present the game has caught on like wild fire in Gampaha and Colombo.

Rienzie De Silva captained St. Benedict's Kotahena and won the junior and senior public school tournaments. He also represented Ceylon at the Asia Games, South Zone Championship, Pesta Sukan Tournament and the ABC Championship. He led Old Bens, University of Ceylon, Sri Lanka Standard Institute, Nationalised services, Western Province and Sri Lankan Airlines. He was the vice president of the SriLanka Basketball Federation and President of the Basketball Referees Association.

Royden De Silva captained St. Peter's College Bambalapitiya and won the Junior and Senior Public School Tournaments. He also represented Ceylon at the Asian Games, South Zone Championships, Pesta Sukan Tournament and the ABC Championships. He led Orients Basketball Club and was amongst the best cager players in the island. He is also a double international having represented Sri Lanka at rugby. He captained Havelocks at rugby and played a leading role in promoting rugby amongst Sri Lankans in the UAE.

Mark Fernando represented St. Joseph's College Maradana at the Junior and Senior Public School Tournaments and earned a name as a sharp shooter in competitions. He is the President of the Colombo District Basketball Association and conducted nearly five tournaments in one year.

Elmo Jayawardena and Duncan Jayawardena, the brothers from St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa created history by representing Sri Lanka in foreign tournaments. They also captained their college and the Sri Lanka team as well. They also participated at the Asia Games, South Zone Championships, Pesta Sukan Tournament and the ABC Championship. They also turned up for Moratuwa Basketball Club and Old Sebastians in local competitions. As brothers they formed an attacking combination.


De Bruijn sparkles, but the doubts still remain

When the subject of drugs came up at the post-race conference on September 17, De Bruijn wrapped her long nails round the gold disc and squeezed it to her chest. She has the body of one who was raised by dolphins and the competitive instincts of one who has swum with sharks. The skin is taut and bleached, and her arms and legs are a sculpted amalgam of grace and power. If the innuendo directed her way is wrong. She is the victim of a terrible calumny for which cheats in her own profession must bear the blame. She is either a wondrous subaqueous creature, or another low-rent monster from the deep.
By Paul Hayward

The most uncompli cated way to say this is that Inge de Bruijn became an Olympic great in the pool.

But then nothing is ever uncomplicated in swimming, a world where people develop the bodies of Gods and Goddesses yet never escape the suspicion that they are horribly mortal.

Those environmentally-conscious Australians have extracted the chlorine from this quicksilver Olympic pool, so one of the most drug- scarred sports has even less chance of washing itself clean. De Bruijn is either the Ian Thorpe of women's swimming or the latest in dispiriting sequence of false idols. On September 17 she broke her own 100 metres butterfly world record while seizing her first Olympic gold. On September 21 she added the 100m free-style gold to it with a world record in the semi-finals.

The icing on the cake was the 50m free-style gold, with another world record in the semi-finals. If she is what she seems then another phenomenon has sprung up from that dechlorinated gene pool.

When the subject of drugs came up at the post-race conference on September 17, De Bruijn wrapped her long nails round the gold disc and squeezed it to her chest. She has the body of one who was raised by dolphins and the competitive instincts of one who has swum with sharks.

The skin is taut and bleached, and her arms and legs are a sculpted amalgam of grace and power. If the innuendo directed her way is wrong. She is the victim of a terrible calumny for which cheats in her own profession must bear the blame. She is either a wondrous subaqueous creature, or another low-rent monster from the deep.

After her easy butterfly triumph over Martina Moravcova and Dara Torres, De Bruijn said, "I felt smooth in the water. When I took to the pool I just felt I was going to be No. 1." She attributes her dramatic improvement to a rigorous new training schedule which includes rope climbing, weightlifting, martial arts and swimming with shoes to add drag.

After joining an American coach, Paul Bergen, two years ago, she says she began to feel like a high-speed train and finally fulfilled the promise she had been showing before she withdrew in disarray from the 1996 Games.

Her official biography says she was "kicked off" the Dutch Atlanta team "for not applying herself." Asked to explain her rapid ascent since then, de Bruijn said here:

"My break in '96 was good for me. I didn't swim for a year. There was no point going to the Olympics because I wouldn't have enjoyed myself. I wasn't having fun. After that I put in the hard work and I used my talent totally. I just got faster and faster."

In May, she took a gargantuan 1.19 sec. off Jenny Thompson's 100m butterfly record. Before Thompson, Mary Meagher's record has stood for 18 years. The breakthroughs all came in a rush, which always raises doubt. Ad Roskam, her current coach, has said that she was too soft, "too emotional", to bring her gifts consistently to bear.

And boy does she move, the arc of her arms chopping and heaving the water and creating daunting waves for those in vain pursuit! After another commanding performance by the boy-man Thorpe, de Bruijn nipped three-hundredths of a second off the record she set in Seattle in July. She has already broken fresh ground in Sheffield in May. In a three-week period in May and June she broke world records seven times. Australia's Susie O'Neil, the 200m butterfly champion in 1996, stirred swimming's deep well of suspicion when she called De Bruijn's times "pretty sus."

Here lies a sport that was "pretty sus." You can imagine the engraver's hand chiselling those words. An allegation is not always true. The accuser is not always true.

The accuser is not always holy, as Arthur Miller reminded us in The Crucible. So what we are left with is a set of tumbling records and a radiant smile that says everything we are watching is on the level.

It sure looks good and De Bruijn is unflinching in the face of a persistent suggestion that she will be exposed one day as this year's Michelle Smith.

"I had a really rough time with the accusations. I'm a very emotional person and it got to me," she said. "I decided not to read any more newspapers because I know all I was doing was working very hard. If you set world records they want to chop your head off. They want to take it away from you. Right now I'm above all those accusations."

It was some legacy that the miracle-working Smith left in Atlanta. There, the first Irish swimmer to escape the old joke about it being a good day in the pool if nobody in green actually drowned, burst out of obscurity to collect three gold medals. Even the White House conferred its praise.

Others, including a small but gallant group of Irish journalists, witheld theirs. It took a while for the predominant view of Smith's "achievements" to shift. But shift it did when she was banned for allegedly pouring whiskey into a urine sample after the testers swooped on her home.

Imagine how the new champion felt when Smith changed her name to De Bruin. "Although our names are similar we're not family or anything. There's no comparison with me and her at all."

Surely she could understand the doubts, the natural scepticism of an audience who watched East German and then Chinese steroid users smash through the old limits of the sport? "Actually I don't, because I've always been up there in my profession. I've been ranked in the top 10 since 1991. I got a bronze in the European Championships that year and have been breaking European records all the time, I've never come out of nowhere.

"I couldn't be more confident than this with a gold medal round my neck. The eight world records I set mean a lot, but this is something special.

A gold medal can never be taken away from me. This was the time to show the world what was inside of me." Whatever it is, the waters part.

• Courtesy The Sportstar


Congratulations Susi, but how can we forget Duncan White?

Fifty-two-years ago, the Games were being held for the first time after the Second World War, and Ceylon had just won Independence from British rule. But the average spectator, it is said, asked where Ceylon was as Duncan stood on the victory dais with tears of joy in his eyes as his country's flag was being hoisted.
By Carlton Samarajiwa

While we celebrate (and shall continue to celebrate and remember without ceasing Susanthika Jayasinghe's Bronze Medal at the Sydney Olympic Games last Thursday, September 28, 2000, how can we forget the late Ducan White? Duncan brought glory to Ceylon (as our country was known at that time) at the London Olympic Games held in 1948 by winning a Silver Medal in the 400 metres hurdles.

That was 52 years ago, and the Games were being held for the first time after the Second World War, and our country had just won Independence from British rule. But the average spectator, it is said, asked where Ceylon was as Duncan stood on the victory dais with tears of joy in his eyes as his country's flag was being hoisted. At Sydney 2000, however, Sri Lanka is well-known not only for tea, tourism (and also Tiger terrorism) but also, since 1996, for cricket when Arjuna and his team put our country on the world map. Now more than half a century after our country was put on the Olympic scoreboard and close on the heels of the World Cup, Susanthika has followed in Duncan's great footsteps. Duncan created history in style; Susanthika has done the same also in style plus rural feminine grace.

Susanthika also wore a yellow ribbon on her wrist (and on her hair in the heats) in aid of free and fair parliamentary elections in her country where, even as she was competing in the best tradition of Olympic Sport in Sydney, warring political parties are competing for power in a frenetic outburst of violence. At the end of her race, Susanthika declared that she would have won Gold for Sri Lanka if she had not been subjected harassment back home in the recent past.

To make amends as it were for all these mindless and grievous wrongs done to an athlete whose bronze medal is worth gold both for her and for us, President Kumaratunga has offered her a sports training scholarship in any country of her choice. Other bonanzas too will be rightly hers. Duncan White was spared all of that in a time of political innocence fifty-two years ago when no politicians of any hue attempted to gain mileage and advantage for themselves from an athlete's prowess and commitment.

When Duncan ran his 400 metres hurdles in London, only spectators who were physically present saw and cheered him. There may have been a handful of Ceylonese to cheer him along with "Go, Duncan, go!" Among them were Pam Fernando of golfing fame (then twenty-two-year-old Pam de Vos) and her two friends Shirani Weerasinghe and June Somasundera who stood near the finish line at Wembley Stadium to give Duncan moral support (This information was given by Pam Fernando in an interview with Uthpala Gunatilake of The Sunday Times). Susanthika, in contrast, had that magnificent Sydney Stadium filled to capacity and the whole TV-watching world hold their breath as she ran the race of her life. The media coverage of her event like all other event was instant, wide and intense. We shall be seeing clips of video footage from time to time to keep Susanthika's feat alive for all time.

When Duncan returned home by sea, it was his alma mater Trinity College that accorded him a simple but warm hero's welcome at the Colombo Jetty. The country had not yet learnt to honour her athletes at a national level. Susanthika, in contrast, was given a red carpet welcome at the Katunayake Airport, as she was before when she returned from Athens in glory. Then the garlands were too many for her to bear, and we saw her handing them innocently and child like over to the Minister of Sports himself as a hundred cameramen trailed her step by step. A red carpet welcome with unprecedented media coverage awaited her as she returned home with Olympic honours on Tuesday. Such celebrations will go on for a long time.

Not for Duncan White such honours and accolades for his Olympic Silver. It was only a year before Duncan's death in England that his country recognised his worth by awarding him a national honour, we saw the tears in his eyes when after the ceremony he told the TV reporter covering the occasion, "I should have been given this honour fifty years ago." Duncan did not live much longer to savour the memory of that belated honour by his motherland. For Susanthika, as it has been for our cricketers who won the World Cup in 1996 things have been and will be different. National recognition and honour have been instant and will flow for her in an unceasing and deserving stream.

Not for Duncan sleek limousines luxury houses, sponsorships and advertising contracts either. He asked, but to no avail for a house to live in somewhere close to Colombo if he were to return home to help in athletics training for our youth. Duncan's sporting days were days when sportsmen were paupers. At a sports meet in Colombo during the war, he travelled from Trincomalee, where he was stationed, and ran the 120 yard hurdles in a pair of tennis shoes to beat a former Olympic athlete Group Captain Finlay of the Royal Air Force.

Returning from Loughborough after the London Olympics, Duncan bought his own car (a green Moris Minor convertible saloon) with a loan. With his newly wedded wife he occupied a ramshackle "bungalow" in the old military camp at Maharagama, which had become the Government Training College, where he took up a poorly paid Physical Education lecturer's post.

That was in 1951 and we who were teacher trainees at that time felt exceedingly proud and deeply honoured to have an Olympic medalist as our PE lecturer. Duncan however, was the humblest, the most unassuming, the most cheerful, and friendliest lecturers we had in those glorious days of our youth.

He gave us excellent lectures in the Theory of Physical Education and trained us in PT and Sports. He coached a superb quartet of our fellow students for the 400 metres relay: Romulus Goonetilleka, Nandasena Labutale, K. Balendra and I. David. This team emerged national champions in this event at the AAA meet of that time. Labutale made a name for himself as a hurdler too during and after his Maharagama days.

At the Award Ceremony of the Duncan White Sports Foundation on March 1, 1998, Duncan White exhorted Susanthika. "If you want to win a race, you must win it in your head - that is, through determination, courage, the will to go and optimism." That Susanthika, who received the Duncan White Award from his own hand, displayed these qualities in ample measure was clear to see at Sydney 2000. Well done, Susanthika and God speed in all your future meets, and may Duncan's Soul Rest In Peace!

Had Duncan lived to see Susanthika run her 200 metres for Bronze, conceding the Silver to Pauline Davis of the Bahamas by a mere one hndredth of a second, he would have cheered his heart out from his home in England.

Now it is his spirit that must surely rejoice with exceeding joy that his country has after all these fifty two long years produced an Olympic medalist after him, and an innocent rural lass of humble origins at that.


Lankan girls ready for World Cup

New Zealand Cricket is sparing no pain for the 31 games in 4 weeks played over three grounds along with the practice sessions to fit in. With eight international teams each playing a minimum of seven games, and in between needing space for fielding and net sessions, New Zealand faced a logical nightmare.

Thanks to an offer from Burnham Military Camp for the use of Burros Field where all international teams will now have first class practice and recreational facilities available to them.

Warrant Officer, Collin Murphey said the Burnham Cricket Club has a proud tradition but with two-thirds of the camp's resident personnel currently on duty in East Timor, the club has been unable to field even one team this year. Instead, the newly-laid cricket block, featuring two first class strips, will provide the practice facilities to the World Cup participants. Teams will also have the use of a swimming pool and the nearby 18-hole Burnham Golf Course.

In the meantime, the traditional villages green pavilion which is designed by Austin Architects, will be completed early November in time for the opening match of the Women's World Cup on 29 November.

The Pavilion is located on the boundary of the BIL Oval, immediately adjacent to the three accommodation units used by the residential Academy. A formal name for the building will be unveiled at the opening ceremony planned for 11 November.

Lankan girls who are hard at practice at SSC under coach Guy de Alwis appear confident and more assured than when they debuted in World Cup '97. The final fourteen will be named during the course of next week according to President, Gwen Herat of the Women's Cricket Association of Sri Lanka.

Themiyadasa 6/10

L.D. Chandrasiri, Matale

A fine spell of bowling by the Matale St. Thomas' College captain, Themiyadasa, 6/10 in the first innings and 6/25 in the second innings paved way for Matale St. Thomas' to record an outright win over Vijaya College Matale in their under 13 Division 3 inter-school cricket match played at the St. Thomas' College ground in Matale last week.

Vijaya College - 51 all out (Themiyadasa 6/10)

St. Thomas' College - 153/4 (Themiyadasa 53, Atugoda 39, N.S. Hulangamuwa, 3/80, E.S.K. Gunasena 1/12)

Vijaya College Matale - 50 all out (23.4 overs) (Themiyadasa 6/25)


Shereen Kumaranatunga is keen to promote & foster women's cricket

The Sri Lanka Women's Cricket Association, the controlling body for women's cricket in Sri Lanka has planned out many programmes, said Shereen Kumaranatunga, wife of Jeevan Kumaranatunga, Deputy Minister of Sports. Jeevan is the chief patron of the association. They were appointed after the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. C.V. Gooneratne, who were president and patron respectively.

Shereen Kumaranatunga says that the selections for the Sri Lanka team, for which trials are being held at the Khettarama Stadium, will be just and fair. "Every available cricketer will be given the chance to prove themselves. Players from every part of the country have been included in the pool", said Shereen.

Secretary of the SLWCA Rohini Fernando said that soon afterthe trials a competition will be held and teams from Kandy, Puttalam, Chilaw, Anuradhapura, Matale have already started training for the contest.

According to Rohini Fernando it was the SLWCA which introduced women umpires and very soon they will be calling for more women umpires. She said that cricket gear has already been distributed to affiliated clubs and association and their main target is to take a team to play in an international competition outside the island.

The SLWCA pool is being trained by by former all Ceylon cricketer Russel Hamer.

Ms. U.L. Morrisons, makers of Sustagen Sport, Nestle Lanka and Ratmalana Maxims are the sponsors of the SLWCA teams.


Olympic stars get warm welcome

1.Susanthika Jayasinghe waves Sri Lanka's first olympic medal in 52 years as she makes a triumphant return to the country October 3, 2000. Tens of thousands thronged the route from the airport to the capital Colombo as the country welcome back Jayasinghe who won the bronze in the women's 200m in Sydney.

2.Australian Sydney 2000 Olympic Games wrestling team member Yourik Sarkisian is carried by teammate Michelle Ketinyan down the main street of Sydney October 3, 2000 during a parade for the athletes and offcials as an estimated crowd of more than 50,000 people cheer on.

3.Members of the Australian Sydney 2000 Olympic Games swimming team, Susan O'Neill (L) and the most successful medal winner of any country at the games Ian Thorpe, pose for a photo during a parade down the main street of Sydney October 3, 2000 as an estimated crowd of more than 50,000 people cheer on.

4.Australian Olympic swimmer Michael Klim (R) shows off the medals he has won at the Olympic Games as he hugs teammate Ashley Callus during a parade down the main street of Sydney October 3, 2000. REUTERS

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