Sri Lanka’s solitary para athlete at the XXII Commonwealth Games Palitha Bandara is poised to create history in Birmingham when he competes in the F42 discus throw event on August 3.
Paralympian Bandara’s pet event is the shot put having won a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia and is ranked number five in the world after throwing a distance of 13.40 metres in the F63 final at the Tokyo Games last year. He has also won a bronze medal at the 2021 Fazza World Para Athletic Championship in Dubai.
However, since shot put is not an event at Birmingham 2022, the 30-year-old Army Corporal attached to the Sri Lanka National Guard tried his hand in discus under the guidance of National Throwing coach Prabath Danushka Perera just eight months ago. It has paid rich dividends as he became the only para athlete to achieve the qualifying standard for the Commonwealth Games.
Although the National Paralympic Committee nominated five Asian standard para athletes for Birmingham 2022, only Bandara was selected by virtue of his qualification at a competition in Britain in May where he was ranked fourth with a throw of 40.24m.
Sri Lanka has never won a medal in the history of the Commonwealth Games in para sports but Bandara is determined to rewrite the record books in Birmingham although he will face an uphill task since the men’s discus throw is a combined event for categories F42-46 and F61-64.
Bandara’s classification is F42 because of impaired muscle function above his left knee but the combined event could also work to his advantage because of the Raza points scoring system since eight metres will be added to his mark in the final analysis.
He achieved a personal best of 45.69m in the discus at a trial meet in Sri Lanka which gives the athlete and his coach confidence that he can throw a distance of 46 or 47 metres.
“He began by clearing 38 metres and has gradually increased his distance. He has the potential to win a medal at Birmingham because there are only three athletes from England who are ahead of him.
In the qualifying meet in England, we did not want to expose him too much but just wanted to achieve the Commonwealth Games standard of 40 plus,” said Bandara’s coach.
Bandara suffered a career-threatening injury to his left knee which required metal plates to be inserted when playing volleyball for Army in 2013. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the powerfully built soldier who became a para athlete the following year.
He is the reigning F42 national shot put champion since 2016 and brought glory to Sri Lanka at the 2018 Asian Para Games. He was also placed eighth in the 2019 World Para Athletic Championship in Dubai.
He achieved the season’s fourth best performance in F42 discus throw at the British competition and is the first athlete from the Sri Lanka contingent to the Commonwealth Games to arrive in Birmingham with his coach on Monday.
“We want to get acclimatized to the conditions. I don’t feel any kind of pressure. I am confident of winning a medal in my event and breaking Sri Lanka’s duck at the Commonwealth Games in para sports,” said Bandara, a father of two girls and a native of Laggala, Matale.