• Medal haul includes 7 Gold, 12 Silver and 7 Bronze

Sri Lankan powerlifters continued their impressive medal haul at the recently held Asian Powerlifting Championships, where over 600 athletes participated from over 36 countries in the Asian region. 

The excellent performances in all classes included Suranga de Silva (Masters 1) with four Gold medals and Rohan Paulas (Masters 3) with three Gold medals leading the medal haul, with notable efforts from Pradeep Sununu, Kunam Pushanthan, and Uvindu Jayasinghe bagging some important medals in the highly competitive Open category. 

Sulesh Mendis with a Silver in the Junior category excelled against some serious competition. Experienced lifter Darin Weerasinghe too bagged a Silver in the Masters 1 category.

Numerous Sri Lankan national records were broken at this event. This was yet another success for the powerlifters, who continue to consistently bring home medals for Sri Lanka, despite the sport facing challenges both administratively and financially. All costs of participating, including flights, hotels, transfers, and participation fees, were borne by the athletes themselves.

This year is a crucial year, with the Commonwealth, Asia Pacific, and World Championship events to be held in South Africa. The athletes require support if they are to have any chance of winning additional medals for Sri Lanka.

The athletes have written to the National Sports Council, the Sports Ministry, and the Powerlifting Federation, outlining several practical steps to help improve participation and ensure that the athletes are supported in their participation at future events.

Asian Championship 2023, Malaysia medal breakdown

• Pradeep Sumudu 59 weight class (Open)
• Squat: Bronze 
• Bench Press: Silver 
• Deadlift: Silver 
• Overall: Silver 

• Uvindu Jayasinghe 105 weight class (Open) 
• Squat: Bronze 

• Kunam Pushanthan 120+ weight class (Open) 
• Bench Press: Silver 
• Deadlift: Silver 

• Sulesh Mendis 120 weight class (Sub-Junior) 
• Bench Press: Bronze 
• Squat: Bronze 
• Deadlift: Silver 
• Overall: Silver 

• Jenosha Mendis 74 weight class (Junior) 
• Squat: Silver 

• Shevoni Nethara 84 weight class (Junior) 
• Squat: Bronze 
• Bench Press: Bronze
• Deadlift: Silver 
• Overall: Bronze 

• Suranga de Silva 66 weight class (Masters 1) 
• Squat: Gold 
• Bench Press: Gold 
• Deadlift: Gold
• Overall: Gold 

• Thilakarathne Chandana 83 weight class (Masters 1) 
• Deadlift: Silver 

• Hiran Fernando 93 weight class (Masters 1) 
• Squat: Silver 

• Darin Weerasinghe 120 weight class (Masters 1) 
• Bench Press: Silver 

• Rohan Paulas 105 weight class (Masters 3) 
• Squat: Gold 
• Bench Press: Silver 
• Deadlift: Gold 
• Overall: Gold