Champion diver vaults from gymnastics to powerlifting
18-YEAR-OLD SHENUKI DISHALYA WIJESIRI HAS SHOWN PROMISE AS A FUTURE PROSPECT
Powerlifting is a sport where athletes require a lot of mental strength and stamina. In the recent past this wonderful sport has given the Sri Lankan public a reason to be proud of their country. It is heartening to see that youngsters are being attracted to the sport and they have the luxury of growing under the shades of acclaimed fitness trainer Mothilal Jayathilake and champion powerlifter Ransilu Jayathilake.
Among those youngsters Shenuki Dishalya Wijesiri has been one of the emerging prospects for the future of powerlifting in the country.
Shenuki had shown a keen interest in diving and gymnastics at an early age and was successful in both events. In 2018 she became the under 17 diving champion at the SLSRFA MILO 45th Schools Age Group Swimming & Diving Championship.
Her introduction to powerlifting is an interesting story. She had joined ‘ CrossFit Colombo’ with the intention of improving her fitness and muscle strength for gymnastics. While she was training for gymnastics, she came under the watchful eyes of Mothilal Jayathilake. As time went by, he was impressed by her abilities and encouraged her to take up powerlifting as a sport.
A proud product of a leading school in Colombo and despite being a multi athlete, she gave equal importance for her education as well.
After completing her Ordinary Level examination successfully, she decided to take an indefinite break from diving and gymnastics to manage her workload. At present she is focusing on improving her abilities as a powerlifter. Despite prioritising powerlifting, she has no intention of giving up on any of the three sports.
Ransilu, the son of Mothilal who has been observing her progress from close quarters believes that she is on the brink of breaking the Asian record.
Physical fitness plays an important role in an athlete’s life. Since Shenuki is a teenager, a specific diet plan cannot be introduced. For the time being she will only focus on strengthening her muscle power.
When the sport was introduced to her, it took her some time to grasp the basics of the sport. Initially she had a strong muscle density but in the future she will have to prioritise her nutrition intake as well.
In every sportsperson’s life, their families play a crucial role in enabling them to have a successful career. For Shenuki, her mother has been a source of inspiration and she has been encouraging her daughter to prosper in the sporting arena along with the other members in the family.
She idolises veteran female powerlifter Jennifer Thompson and this American has been a role model for the 18-year-old, ever since she had started powerlifting in 2019.
Shenuki is generally known to be a shy personality off the field. But when it comes to her training commitments for powerlifting, she always tries to learn from her seniors and improve in her bid to make her country proud in the future.
“We want to keep her injury f ree by managing her workload. She took part in two National trials. Among the events that she took part in includes the Asia Pacific in Hong Kong and she also got selected to the World Championship in Belarus. Both the events we re postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Ransilu who is considered as one of the most successful powerlifters the country has ever seen.
“She also broke the senior national record by dead lifting 85 kg which is more than her body weight. Her experiences in gymnastics were invaluable in adapting to powerlifting. She took part in the Junior Commonwealth Games in 2018 as a gymnast which was held in Namibia and the Asian championships in Thailand leading up to her introduction to powerlifting,” he elaborated on her future as a powerlifter.
Ransilu was concerned about the fact that athletes struggle to concentrate on sports while doing their higher studies. He urged that this system should be changed. Otherwise the investment that young athletes like Shenuki put in will be wasted.
He stressed the fact that the universities in Sri Lanka must allocate national athletes a time period to concentrate on sports, just as in other countries.
According to Shenuki, being a powerlifter gives her self-confidence to take giant strides in sport as well as her education.
Expressing his views about the future of powerlifting in Sri Lanka, Ransilu believes that people have understood the sacrifices powerlifters do to take powerlifting to the next level and currently they get the much needed recognition from the public.
This is just the start for Shenuki as she hopes to take powerlifting in the country to a different level. For the time being her priority will be to participate in the Asia Pacific Championships in Hong Kong in July and she is also hoping to win a world championship medal in Belarus in August.
Ransilu is hopeful that they will be able to represent Sri Lanka at the South Asian Games and the Asian Games in the future. He also said that powerlifting will be included in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States and he is hopeful that Shenuki and his powerlifters will work hard and will bring glory to their motherland.
Ransilu and his team has identified short- term and long- term goals for Shenuki. Her dream is to be successful in all three events - Dead lift, Bench Press and squat. Multi athletes such as Shenuki are assets to the country. The responsible authorities should nurture them to make our country proud.