Kavindu Karunasinghe is a young 16-year-old boxer from Sri Dheerananda National School in Pilimatalawe, Kandy

[caption id="attachment_149412" align="alignleft" width="355"] The 16-year-old Kavidu Karunasinghe (centre) with his Coach Sunil De Silva and E.J.M.P.G.G. Bandara, Principal of his school Sri Dheerananda National School, Pilimatalawe, Kandy[/caption]

From time to time, we come across sports people who make an immediate impact on you. Such new faces make an instant impression, perhaps because of the determination you see in their eyes, or else, it might be because of the desire that you see in them to do their best and achieve the maximum potential.

This writer was fortunate enough to be part of such an experience last week. As regular readers of this column will know, this writer is a coach of a sport for almost three decades. During this time I have experienced success at all levels, including some success with Sri Lankan teams in international competitions.

But this story is about a player from another sport. Last week I was invited by a friend to watch the selection matches organised by the Sri Lanka Amateur Boxing Association (SLABA) for the upcoming Asian Junior Boxing Meet, due to be held in Dubai next month.

The boxing meet

Before going any further, let me hasten to add that this was the first boxing meet that this writer has ever attended to and therefore I am no expert on the subject of boxing whatsoever. But having attended various sports events and having been the Tournament Director of some of the most important international events in the game of tennis, the impression of this writer was that it was a well organised event within the health guidelines; the crowd was well controlled, and everyone seemed to be doing their best to make sure that they could have a safe event. The officials of the SLABA, including its President Dian Gomez who himself was in attendance to watch the young boxers in action, could certainly take a bow.

In between the bouts this writer, needing to take an important telephone call and having looked around for a quiet place, observed a room and snuck in quickly. That is when this writer saw a young boxer, in full gear, seated in a corner on the only chair that was available in that totally empty room, with his eyes closed.

Having coached numerous national and international champion teams my interest was “piqued” immediately. This young boxer was doing “visualisation”. And immediately I understood that this was a “special” young player, because even if coaches try, only a very few players do it - let alone doing it on their own. Feeling as if he was intruding, I quietly left the room without disturbing him.

Kavindu Karunasinghe

 

The second clue came a little later. This boxer was going to get into the ring for the last fight of the day. As the one before the last fight had finished, the ring was empty. He came near the ring and was staring at the ring intently. One of his friends came and patted him on the back giving him encouragement. He didn’t react at all. He was staring at the ring almost without breathing. It was clear that he was in the “zone”. This kind of concentration is almost impossible to be taught. The first instinct of this writer was that this kid was “special”.

This writer was in full “coach” mode. This was a bout I was going to watch with special interest - with some knowledge on boxing or no knowledge at all. As the bout progressed, it was clear to me that he was probably one of the best boxers, if not THE best boxer that I saw at this meet. When the results for the selection were announced, with surprising efficiency by the selectors, my instinct was confirmed right. He was confirmed as one of the two boxers chosen to represent Sri Lanka at the Junior Boxing Meet in Dubai. This writer immediately sought an introduction to this boxer through a friend.

Kavindu Karunasinghe is a young 16-year-old boxer from Sri Dheerananda National School in Pilimatalawe, Kandy. He will in fact be sitting for his Ordinary Level examination this year. Hailing from a middle-class family, with his father a mason and the mother being a housewife, he is the third boy in a family of four siblings with the sister as the youngest.

His eldest brother is working at MAS, a name synonymous with boxing and boxers, and his second brother had just finished his Advanced Level examination. With his two elder brothers having taken part in boxing, Kavindu had taken up boxing in January 2018 under the tutelage of the school boxing coach K.K. Sunil De Silva.

National and international meets

He had taken part in quite a few national and international meets. He had won the gold medal at the L.V. Jayaweera Meet in May the same year, or just a few months after taking up the sport. Then later in the same year, he had won the silver medal at the T.B. Jayah Boxing Meet and after having competed and won the selection meet in 2019, he had travelled to Kuwait with five other boxers to take part in the inaugural ASBC Asian Confederation Schoolboys Boxing Championships held in Kuwait City. With it being his first taste of international boxing, he had lost to a fighter from Thailand there.

There was an interesting background story there as well. With him having to contribute for his expenses, his father had “leased” out his three-wheeler and obtained money to send him there. His father is still paying off his lease. Other well-wishers as well as old boys from his school had also contributed for that tour.

Afterwards, he had taken part in the Schools Boxing Meet in the early part of 2020 at Kamburupitiya in Matara and had won the gold medal. With the pandemic taking hold in the world, Kavindu’s practices had been curtailed to a large extent in the last two years. But he had taken part in this selection meet with the minimum preparation in the current circumstances and impressed the national selectors enough to get chosen to represent the country again.

“My dream is to win a medal at the Olympics. I know that I need to work hard and stay focused and disciplined if I am to have any chance. But I am determined to do my best. I am very thankful to my coach and my school, including the Principal E.J.M.P.G.G. Bandara, for all the support that they have extended to me,” said Karunasinghe speaking to this writer.

Good student also

On inquiry, this writer found that Karunasinghe is a good student as well. At a time when most sports people neglect their studies, it was refreshing to see a sports person with over 50 marks for each and every subject with some very high marks for quite a few subjects. He was very cognizant of the fact that he would need to do well in his studies if he was to have a good future, even after he hangs his gloves up. This was a very mature attitude for one so young.

Speaking about his young charge his Coach Sunil De Silva, who is incidentally the Manager cum Coach of the Sri Lanka team for this tour, said, “He (Kavindu) works hard and is focused when he practises. He is a boy with good qualities and is a respectful student as well. He is one of the youngest boxers ever to have had international exposure, which should stand him in good stead. He will go far in life”.

Silva, who had been himself a boxer of repute in his younger days, has been coaching boxing for almost 20 years. He has produced a number of boxers who has represented Sri Lanka at various boxing meets. Silva --who will in fact be accompanying a Sri Lanka team for his sixth tour overseas, had started his coaching career during the war days from Ganthalawa Navodya School, Kanthale-- lamented the fact that Sri Lankan boxers had not been able to train because of the pandemic situation that was prevailing in the country recently. But he was determined that his boxers will do their best at the meet. He will be accompanying Karunasinghe, Umyanga Mihiran of Nalanda College - Colombo, and Mihiran’s Coach Amila Tissera on this tour.

Conclusion

This is just one story of a young boy succeeding despite hardship. Karunasinghe has been lucky that he has been able to lean on a support structure which is doing its best for him. There must be a number of other such instances in Sri Lanka. Hopefully they will also be able to find such support to facilitate their success. Let’s hope that we will hear more of Kavindu Karunasinghe for all the good reasons for years to come. Perhaps in the future, hopefully, we will be able to revisit this article when he wins an international medal for his mother country!