Dhanika excels in Sailing Championship in Oman

Fourteen-year-old Dhanika Nanayakkara did Sri Lanka proud by bagging the bronze medal at the 2020 IODA Asian & Oceania Sailing Championship held in Oman from September 28 to October 7.

Over 140 competitors participated at the event with 71 and 70 competitors selected respectively to the Gold and Silver fleets at the conclusion of six qualifying races. The significance of Dhanika’s performance was that while he finished with a bronze medal; all other Lankan competitors finished in position above 100.

So much so during the visit of world renowned athletic coach Tony Campbell’s visit to Sri Lanka, young Dhanika was feted by Tony and other NOC SL high ranking officials.

Prior to the event, Yachting Association of Sri Lanka (YASL) Sailing Convener, Asanka Goonewardene said: “This event is the top-ranked event on the sailing calendar for our junior sailors, and we are delighted that we are able to field a full team this year. Participating in this event is a great opportunity for our young sailors to compete alongside the best in the world, and the experience they gain and bring back with them is invaluable for the development of the sport at the school and national level.”

The 2019 Team
The Sri Lankan team for IODA 2019 comprised students from S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia, Ladies College, Colombo, and Royal College. The competitors were: Shashenka Fernando, Enalka de Silva, and brothers Dhanika, Nikhil and Tharen Nanayakkara (S. Thomas’); Tarini de Silva, Lara Gunawardana and Taalya Tranchell (Ladies College); and Udan Marapperuma and Manthisa Gunasekara (Royal College).

The team was selected after trials conducted in June this year by the Yachting Association of Sri Lanka, and approved by both the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Education. Since then, the team has been training hard under experienced National Coach Krishan Janaka, with the support of Sri Lanka’s Olympian sailor Lalin Jirasinghe and the assistance of YASL and the Sri Lanka Navy. The Team Manager is Jayantha Gunasekara, who is also the Teacher-in-Charge of Royal College Sailing.

The Ceylon Motor Yacht Club (CYMC) has also been magnanimous in its support and encouragement for youth sailing over the course of many years, and has generously provided its premises and facilities on the Bolgoda Lake for schoolchildren to train. This team has benefited greatly from the support of the CMYC.