Ravindu proving his star quality
Rising star Ravindu Laksiri has already begun to swat his authority in squash with a string of notable achievements. The squash prodigy, who is still in his teens-17 to be exact-has been making his mark at top squash events in the country, and is aiming for even bigger goals.
Ravindu’s efforts paid dividends when he became the national squash champion at the 33rd Nat i o n a l Squash Championship, which was held at the Air Force International Courts in Ratmalana during the last week of December in 2013. While Mihiliya Methsarani successfully defended her women’s open title young Ravindu clinched the men’s open title, toppling eight- time national title holder Navin Samarasinghe in a thrilling five-setter in the semi-final clash, before overcoming Dilshan Gunawardena in the final.
Ravindu, who worked tirelessly for his title, shone bright in a year when greats of the game such as Gihan Suwaris, Navin Samarasinghe and Dilshan Gunawardena were at the height of their powers. He completed 2013 with a double crown after having won the Junior National title for a second time at the 24th Ritzbury Junior National Squash Championship, held at the Tamil Union Courts in Colombo during the first week of October.
His double feat at the top most level in the local squash arena is considered a historic achievement and it undoubtedly brings great honour to his school, D.S. Senanayake College Colombo. Unlike his older brother Sasindu Udayasiri, a former student of Carey College Colombo and a onetime participant of the Junior National Championship, Ravindu treated squash more seriously. His brother, who is currently a student at the Ko t a l aw a l a Defence University, was not as brilliant in squash as Ravindu and could not proceed any further in the sport. But Ravindu has shown that commitment and determination can take someone distances beyond one’s imagination.
So far, according to Ravindu’s, supportive parents, he has appeared in over 50 competitions ever since his career began. It was in 2004 that Ravindu made his competitive debut as an unranked player and within a span of ten years he has managed to reach the pinnacle in the sport.
“I still remember the words of encouragement I got from my Principal when I took up to squash as a youngster. He said a student’s sole responsibility is to concentrate on his education. And he said that sports should be a character enhancing feature. I took those words as a challenge and have proved that one also can have a balanced character both in studies and sports, if managed well,” Ravindu, with the great pride of brining much honour to his school, explained.
Justifying his efforts and statements Ravindu managed to obtain good results in the G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination in 2012 and is currently continuing his higher studies in the Commerce stream. Ravindu, who has represented Sri Lanka at over ten competitions, is expected to face his toughest challenge in 2015 when he sits for the G.C.E. Advance Level examination. As his glorious wins and accomplishments in the field of squash, Ravindu expects to overcome that obstacle too with great outcomes.
“I have won at all age groups ever since I appeared in competitions. Beginning from the Under-9 age category, I have won at most of the top tournaments in the country on my way to win the National Championship at the age of 17. This is a great achievement, especially when I was still enjoying the win at the Junior National Championship two months earlier. There’s a lot of hard work and support behind those accomplishments,” Ravindu added.
Ravindu has won the Junior National Championship last year, for the first time, and in 2013 he made his third appearance at the Junior and Senior National Championships, where he is the current title holder of both. Today Ravindu is one of the top seeded squash players of Sri Lanka. Among his top achievements representing the country, Ravindu captained the Under-19 team at the Asian Games and was ranked fifth overall in his category at the Youth Games held in Nanjing, China. But Ravindu insists that his best is yet to come, and he says that will definitely make him, his family, school and above all the country proud.
“I’m ever grateful to my school D. S. Senanayake College, my coaches and my parents for all what I have achieved. I have many to thank for helping me reach this status, from bottom to top. My goal is to make Sri Lanka proud and take squash into a different dimension for youngsters involved with it,” Ravindu, glowing with hope, stated.