Appreciations
View(s):He set his goals high and helped others set theirs high too
Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam
The greatest high jumper produced by Sri Lanka passed away on Friday, April 19, 2024. Ethir told me that he had a habit of visualising his mother with a glass of water before he went for a competition.
He had a dream of representing his country at an Olympic Games after watching a film about the 1948 Olympics. He realised his dream in 1952 at Helsinki and became the youngest Sri Lankan to participate in an Olympic Games. He became the first Sri Lankan to participate in two Olympics when he took part in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
In 1954, Ethir in the second Asian Games held in Manila established an Asian Games record in the High Jump event clearing 6ft. 4 7/8 inches along with Ajith Singh of India, Yuko Ishikawa of Japan and Andre France of Philippines. He was placed 4th after counting the number of failed attempts in the earlier heights.
Ethir’s name was not included in the team selected for the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo. The Daily News Sports editor Carlton Seneviratne took up his case and fought for his inclusion. The National Olympic Committee had no funds to send Ethir. Seneviratne approached Donovan Andree, an entertainer and businessman for help and Andree provided US $ 5,000. If not for his generosity, Ceylon would not have had a gold Medal at the Asian Games.
Ethir went to the Cardiff Commonwealth Games and came to Tokyo via Los Angeles. He arrived in Tokyo only two days before his event and did not participate in the opening march past. His selection made him determined to make amends for the earlier failure at the Second Asian Games. Our taste of the first ever Gold Medal in any sport for Sri Lanka came at this meet when Ethir won the High Jump event with ease, clearing 6 feet 7 7/8 inches, setting a new Asian Games record.
Ethir won the High Jump event at the National Championships for the first time in 1951, then from 1953 to 1955 and again in 1961 and 1962. His first National record was set in 1953 with a jump of 1.93 metres representing Jaffna Central College. In the following year, he improved it to 1.95 metres. In 1955, he improved it once more to 2 metres. In 1962, he went higher with 2.03 metres.
Eventually Ethir joined the University of California, Berkeley and followed a degree in Agriculture Economics and obtained a Doctorate in that subject.
Before the 2000 Olympics, he helped Susanthika Jayasinghe to go to Los Angeles to train under Tony Campbell. Some of our high jumpers also benefitted from his assistance. Manjula Kumara who came from Dickwella Central College, went to Los Angeles under his auspices and improved his performance. Manjula was encouraged to engage in his academic studies too while there.
Once Ethir was in Sri Lanka when Manjula was competing to qualify for an international meet, Ethir was appalled at how the officials conducted the event. When he met me afterwards, he said that the underfoot conditions for the take-off were very poor, and the event was conducted in the late evening so that the crossbar was not visible. The officials had to put a handkerchief on the crossbar for the competitors to see it. He said given better conditions he could have improved his performance.
I am truly grateful to Ethir for the support given to me as well. We lost a great human being. May his soul rest in peace.
K.L.F. Wijedasa
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