Buwaneka Goonethilleke emerged victorious at the 71st National Badminton Championship organised by Sri Lanka Badminton, securing not one, but three coveted titles.

At the Mercantile Indoor Badminton Stadium, the championships culminated in an electrifying finale that showcased Goonethilleke’s exceptional skills.

Goonethilleke dominated the men’s open singles final, overpowering Viren Nettasinghe with a dominant scoreline of 21-16 and 21-7. The intensity continued in the open mixed doubles final, where Goonethilleke partnered with Natasha Gunasekara to triumph over the duo of Madhuka Dulanjana and Butmi Galagama, securing victory with scores of 21-13, 15-21, and 21-18. In the open men’s doubles final, Goonethilleke joined forces with Nettasinghe to defeat Lahiru Weerasinghe and Madhuka Dulanjana with a scoreline of 21-15 and 23-21.

Meanwhile, the open women’s singles final witnessed Ranithma Liyanage claiming the national title by defeating Warangana Jayawardene with a commanding show, sealing the victory 21-10, 21-6.

Adding to the excitement, Jananuwani Amanda De Alwis and Hasara Wijerathne clinched the open women’s doubles division title at the championship’s conclusion. The duo secured their victory by defeating Dilini Ambalangodage and Ranumi Manage with scores of 15-21, 21-9, and 21-18.

The presentation ceremony was graced by the presence of esteemed officials, including Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs Secretary K. Mahesan, Sports Director General Dr. Shemal Fernando, Sri Lanka Badminton President Rohan De Silva, Sri Lanka Schools Badminton Association President Atula Wijewardena, and Education Ministry Assistant Director Prabhath Indika.

Championship winners

Open men’s singles – Buwaneka Goonethilleke

Open women’s singles – Ranithma Liyanage

Open men’s doubles – Buwaneka Goonethilleke/Viren Nettasinghe

Open women’s doubles – Jananuwani Amanda de Alwis/Hasara Wijerathne

Open mixed doubles – Buwaneka Goonethilleke/Natasha Gunasekara

Senior Division

Over-30

Men’s singles – Prasanna Udayakumara

Women’s singles – Nadisha Gayatri

Men’s doubles – Rajitha Dahanayake/Lahiru Madhushan

Mixed doubles – Prasanna Udayakumara/Nadisha Gayatri

Over-35

Men’s singles – Roshan Padmakumara

Women’s singles – Renu Chandrika De Silva

Men’s doubles – Anushka Lakshan/Roshan Padmakumara

Over-40

Men’s singles – Hemantha Kodituwakku 

Men’s doubles – Amila Yatapana/Nishantha Jayamanna

Mixed doubles – Hiruna Dissanayake/Asangi Koditutukku

Over-45

Men’s singles – Subhash Janaka

Women’s singles – Priyanka Abeyratne

Men’s doubles – Clarence Homer/Duminda Jayakodi

Women’s doubles – Priyanka Abeyratne/Vipuli Seneviratne

Mixed doubles – Duminda Jayakody/Priyanka Abeyratne

Over-50

Men’s singles – Duminda Jayakody

Women’s singles – Vipuli Seneviratne

Men’s doubles – Nihal Amarasena/Duminda Somanayake 

Women’s doubles – Thushari Brahmanage/Shriani Jayalath 

Mixed doubles – Subhash Janaka Silva/Vipuli Seneviratne

Over-55

Men’s singles – Niroshan Wijekoon

Women’s singles – Mercy Hariharan

Men’s doubles – N. Wijesekara/Niroshan Wijekon

Over-60

Men’s singles – Anoj Tillakaratne

Men’s doubles – Rohan de Silva/Rohan Fernando

Mixed doubles – Suher Aziz/Shriani Jayalath

Over-65

Men’s singles – Amaratunga Liyanage

Men’s doubles – E.M. Chandralika/Mohammed Azhar

Over-70 

Men’s singles – Sunil Jayasiri