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Khalid Oshman becomes first blind Sri Lankan to place in a rowing competition

23 Nov 2021

Khalid Oshman, officially the first Sri Lankan and only visually impaired athlete to complete three triathlons, Ironman 70.3, and two full marathons, was born in Kuwait, but he never knew his birth parents. The 35-year-old, after coming to Sri Lanka, was raised in an orphanage and was later adopted into a Sri Lankan family. The service-oriented young boy was naturally drawn to a career with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society where he initially worked as a First Aid Co-ordinator. In conversation with  Brunch, he shared that at the age of 26, he lost his eyesight because of medical malpractice. Facing possibly the hardest time in his life as a 100% visually impaired young man, he still overcame all obstacles and made a name for himself in an unforgiving world, and is now recognised for all his impressive achievements. Oshman recently participated in the National Paralympic Rowing Competition held at the Sugathadasa Stadium and came in 10th place. While 10th place may not seem noteworthy to some, Oshman’s story is still significant and tells a story of motivation, drive, passion, and sheer willpower. Talking to us about the competition, he informed us that it was done on a rowing machine and out of 21 participants, he was the only one that was completely blind. His achievement was especially impressive because he has had no prior training in rowing; he was just informed of the competition and on a whim, he decided to take part. “I just did a half-hour session of practice with a friend and then went for the competition,” he shared. Accordingly, for him to even achieve 10th while being visually impaired is a feat to be commended. He shared that in each group that participated, there were four groups and the rest of the competitors in his group were sighted, and Oshman was given first place from the four, despite his disadvantage. During the competition, Oshman explained that up until the last 100 metres, he was in last place from the four other competitors, but upon feeling a boost of energy driven by the need to prove himself and the motivation from his coaches, he was able to push and somehow make his way to first place. Regarding his experience in this competition, he shared that it was a great learning competition and his two coaches, Triathlon Club Colombo (TCC) and Endurance Lab Co-Founders Denis Crassier and Mithun Liyanage, guided him during the competition, and throughout his journey have pushed and encouraged him to achieve great heights. He also added that he is incredibly grateful for their unwavering support and stated that without them, his journey would not have been the great achievement it is today. He said he is grateful that their hard work was put to good use, and with all that, he was able to make them proud. When talking about his thoughts on his most recent and only rowing achievement, he shared: “It’s been an uphill climb throughout, but I want to show the world that a blind athlete can compete alongside fully abled athletes and that the world offers opportunities, not just challenges. We just need to be willing to take the plunge.” Oshman also shared that swimming was what his heart was drawn towards first, and to his support came former Olympian Julian Bolling with an attitude that propelled Oshman to great heights. He went on to compete in the National Championships of 2013 and won the bronze medal in a 50 metre freestyle event and has secured numerous medals in Indo-Sri Lanka Masters Swimming Meets. He even qualified to represent Sri Lanka at the T20 Visually Impaired World Cup held in India in 2017. On this same topic, he added that swimming is a sport that greatly helped him with his rowing achievement, as they are quite similar in terms of the strength it requires; likewise, he shared that even cycling was a sport that enabled him to participate in a rowing competition and come first place in his group. Aside from this, Oshman has also successfully completed Ironman 70.3 Goa, guided by his triathlon partner Mithun Liyanage.

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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