The Sri Lankan Trio of Damayanthi Samarawickrema, Bhagaya Maduwanthi and Nihsadi Lakshika Perera competing in the Washu Barehand Duelian event at the 3rd Asian Indoor Games held in Vietnam believed in themselves and for then nothing tasted better than success.

The Sri Lankan Trio with their awards

Sure they were all talented fighters but what they had to encounter was the high standards of coaching and the latest technologies available in the other countries of the Asian region. They outperformed 6 other nations to carry away the silver medal outclassing Thailand, China, India, Brunei, Hong Kong and Iraq while conceding the gold medal to hosts Vietnam.

Damayanthi Samarawickrema could be termed as the most senior sportswoman of the contingent having dabbled in this martial art sport for the last 16 years having served Sri Lanka on 4 tours abroad touring Nepal in 2000, India in 2003 the SAARC Games in 2006 and Vietnam in 2009 acquring 3 silver medals in the Nanquan, Nando and the Nangun events in 2003 and the silver medal at the SAARC games in 2006 in addition to coming out top in various local meets.

Bhagaya Maduwanthi took to Wushu while yet at school at Holy Cross College Gampaha where she also shone as an athlete and a prominent carrom player. At the S.A. Wushu Championship held in Vietnam in 2003. She showcased her phenomenal talents to walk away with 2 gold medals in the long sword and spear events and collected a bronze medal in the Chan Quan event. She was also a member of the Sri Lanka SAARC pool in 2006 and is currently in the National pool for the SAARC Games to the held in 2010 in Bangladesh. She is at present a teacher by profession.

The youngest member of the award winning team, Nishadi Lakshika Perera schools at Vishaka Vidyalaya and is just 17 years of age. The obvious commitment and dedication coupled with her enormous talent and superb fitness marks her out as a future great in the sport of Wushu. She had instant success in 2003 when she entered the Tai Ji Jian event at the western province schools Wushu meet where she effortlessly pocketed the gold medal.

That this win opened the floodgates for Nishadi to go places in her chosen sport is but to stress the obvious. She was also awarded Western Province Colours and a merit certificate for being unconquered. In the Tai Ji Quan and Tai Ji Jian events in 2006. She also won school colours in 2007 and 2008 and her crowning moment came in 2009 when she was named the outstanding sports personality of Vishaka Vidyalaya.