Badminton and cricket goes hand in hand for Chamika
There was an era in Sri Lanka when sportsmen were not as professional as today but were respected for the occupations they were involved in. They were doctors, engineers or lawyers but with the sports arena being commercialised gradually this elite class today is fast diminishing..
F i f t e e n - ye a r- old Chamika Karunaratne from Royal College Colombo is a youngster who is attempting to make a big change of the present trend. He is different from others and has innovative ideas. He is an expert in three different sports and for his age Chamika has already done wonders. In all three sports disciplines Chamika has managed to reach the pinnacle which is a rare feat. He is a badminton player who has won many titles including the national titles of all age groups from the Under-11 category right to the top. Chamika is also the current Under19 badminton national champion.
In addition Chamika has continued his prowess in athletics. Javelin throw, shot putt and 4x100 relay are the events he is good at. For his continued success Chamika went on to win school colours in the 4x100 event while securing the runner-up spot in the shot putt event at national junior athletic events such as the Western Province Meet, John Tarbat Meet and Zonal Events. But his most successful event is the javelin throw where he holds the current national record in the Under-17 age group. In cricket while playing for the Under-15 team he went on to lead the side and ended up leading the First XI team in three outings.
“It’s hard to engage in three sports at the same time while concentrating on my studies. But I find it very exciting, being able to achieve these feats at a young age. Winning national recognition in different junior sports is a very difficult task. But I have a supporting family and an encouraging set of teachers for guidance,” sadi the energetic Chamika.
Chamika comes from a family which has a rich sporting background. His father Louie Karunaratne was a very good cricketer during his heyday and his three elder brothers are top ranked national badminton players. Chamika is the last among four brothers, Niluka, Diluka and Dinuka, the first three ranked badminton player of Sri Lanka. Chamika who has what is needed to hit the top spot in badminton with his top ranking three brothers around was playing with them at a young age before making his presence felt when he was eight.
“In my first major badminton competition I became AllIsland Under-11 champion. My brothers being national ranked players were an automatic boost for me. I was coached by my brothers’ coaches and I also practiced with them. All these made me a perfect player even before I could grasp what was hapenning,” added Chamika.
“I have won all the age group national championships before winning the Under-19 national title which I adore. My best experience came last year when I took part in the SSC Open for the first time. I advanced to the top before losing to my eldest brother Niluka who went on to win the championship. The best thing about the tournament was that my other two brothers also reached the other semi-final.”
Chamika has maintained a healthy record in the singles where he is practically unbeatable. But in doubles it’s never the same. “I have lost a few games in doubles where I play along with Hashen Ramanayake, who is also my team mate in the cricket team. But we are picking up well and I think the coming years will be good for us in doubles”.
His school, Royal has been very supportive in his endeavours in badminton and athletics which he began at the age of 12. He was encouraged to take up throwing events by the teacher-incharge of athletics who saw him performing well in badminton.
“The teacher asked me if I was interested in taking up throwing events such as the shot putt and javelin. He insisted that I could be a very good athlete in these events. In my first attempt, at the schools athletic meet I took part in the trials and recorded a distance better than the national record in the Under-13 age-group. This was in 2008 and the national record was 36 meters and I covered 38 meters. My technical knowledge was very poor then since I was a total newcomer for the event. But with the help of the school coaches I was able to perfect that event. I attended practices regularly and today I cover a distance of 62 meters, which is the national record in the Under-17 age group. I held the national records for javelin throw in the Under-14, 15 and 17 age groups. But last year the Under-14 record was broken by another Royalist,” he said.
Chamika with his long arms threw 42 meters when he was competing in the Under-14 category and it improved by another seven meters when he reached Under-15. Today is he is competing in the Under-17 age group and aims to better his record breaking performance to get past 62 meters which helped him earn the national record. It was during this time that Chamika developed an interest in cricket.
Having heard of his father’s adventures on cricket at Kalutara Vidyalaya, Chamika entered the Under-13 age group but with no certain aim. He was not considered for selection into any team. After one year’s wait he found a place in the ‘ C’ team of the Royal Under-13 age group. With time and interest his skills started to develop and gained a promotion to the Under-13 ‘A’ team. He continued to play in the same age group for another year before finding a permanent place in the Under-15 ‘A’ team last year. He plays as a batting all-rounder.
The right-handed batsman and the right-arm paceman then went on to captain the Under-15 ‘A’ team last season which won the championship of the age group after 22 years beating St. Sebastian’s. His performances gradually earned him a place in the Royal First XI team where got the rare opportunity of leading the team in the absence of the regular skipper. With the senior team his batting averages is closer to 40 while as a paceman he grabbed a career best 5 wickets for 70 runs against St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa. The vigorous youngster also has the knack to play rugby, the sport he says he enjoys watching very much. If he is given an opportunity to represent Royal at rugby Chamika prefers to play as a wing-three-quarter with his athletic abilities. “I got the opportunity to captain the First XI team for three games. But I prefer to continue as a regular allrounder as I still can play four more seasons for the school. My aim is to play the big match and reach the Sri Lanka Under-19 team. But my prime aim is to reach the Sri Lanka cricket team. At the same time I also have the intention to continue badminton and athletics along with cricket. Since I’m doing my O/L Exam this year I would like to contain myself and achieve good results in the examination as well. I hope I could continue all three sports. I can confidently carry on cricket and badminton to the top level. But if I may have to choose one, I will stick with cricket. I love mathematics as a subject but I’m an average student in class. My aim is to become an engineer and also reach the pinnacle in cricket and badminton as well,” the determined youngster said.
– Naushad Amit (Pix by Ranjith Perera)