Sri Lanka field strong team for 53rd Artistic World Championship
Sri Lanka will field its top gymnastics talent at the 53rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, scheduled from October 19 to 25. The team will depart the island on October 15.
Leading the squad is three-time national champion Nadila Nethviru and current national champion Nuyara Fernando, supported by Thenuka Navaratne. The trio represent the country’s strongest lineup in recent years, combining experience, national recognition, and international exposure.
(From left): Thenuka Navaratne, Nuyara Nisindi Fernando and Nadila Nethviru, Sri Lanka’s top gymnasts selected for the 53rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships
Nadila Nethviru, 20, from St. Benedict’s College, has secured three consecutive men’s national titles and made history as the first Sri Lankan male gymnast to reach the semi-finals at the 2023 Asian Games. Nuyara Fernando, 16, of Lyceum International School, Nugegoda, is the reigning women’s national champion and currently top ranked in South Asia in all-around gymnastics. Thenuka Navaratne, 20, from Dharmaraja College, Kandy, brings consistency and strong apparatus control, having represented Sri Lanka at the 2024 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
The delegation is guided by Head Coach Ranjana Tharanga, the architect behind Sri Lanka’s first Olympic gymnast, with former national champion and FIG WAG Category 3 Judge Amaya Kalukottage joining as the team’s official judge. Team Manager H.M. Chamila Nadee Herath will oversee the tour.