Athlete Okanda Chethina does his school proud-by Dilwin Mendis

Okanda Chethina Hettiarachchi in action at the Long Jump Event in the All Island 44th Junior Athletic Championship. (Picture by Dilwin Mendis – Moratuwa Sports Special Correspondent)

Source:Dailynews

Athletic Coloursman, Hettiarachchige Okanda Chethina Hettiarachchi has brought honour and glory to his Alma Mater Wekada Maha Vidyalaya Dankotuwa with his deeds in the field of. athletics Initially he was admitted to Rathnajothi Primary Vidyalaya Goniyagana, Dankotuwa in 2010 when Mrs. Jessica was at the helm of the school and his first class teacher was Mrs. Piyaseeli and after passing the Grade Five Scholarship Examination he was drafted to Wekada Maha Vidyalaya and his present Principal is W. S. A. Wasantha.

When he was at his first school in Grade 4 he participated in the Inter House Sports Meet in 50 and 100 metres and relays and he swept the board. When he came to his new school he was reluctant to participate in athletics. But his parents Sudarma Kumara Hettiarachchi and Mangala Jayaruk Preethi Kumari being an athlete during her school days she encouraged her son to take up to athletics and participating at the school Inter House Sports Meet as an under 11 competitor in 75 and 100 metres and in Long Jump he came first and became School Champion. Since then to date he is the School Champion Athlete.

As an under 13 Champion Athlete his first attempt in the Divisional and Zonal Meet he won his events and in 2015 he was the Divisional, Zonal and Provincial Champion and his events were 100, 200 and Long Jump and in 2016 participating at the North Western Provincial meet in the National Youth Sports Festival he came third in 100 and 200 metres and second in Long Jump and his school Relay Team emerged third.

In 2017 he became the Divisional Champion and in the Provincial meet he came first in Long Jump and at the North Western Province Inter Club Meet his school came second and in the All Island 44th Junior Athletic Championship he was second in 100 metres and third in Long Jump and in the Sri Lanka Athletic Association Meet he received a merit certificate for Long Jump and 100×4 Relay Event. Same year in the Sri Lanka Schools Athletic Association Meet he came first in Long Jump and 100 metre events.

Then in 2018 at the Wennappuwa Educational Provincial Meet he was the Champion Athlete and in the Open Meet in under 28 age group category he became the Champion and at the National Youth Schools Festival he was third in Long Jump and first in 400×4 Relay Event He was third in the North Western Provincial Meet 400×4 Relay Event and in100x4 third placed and in the same year at the Sri Lanka Schools Athletic Association Meet as an under 15 competitor in the Long Jump he got a Merit Certificate In the Puttalam District Schools Meet he came second in Triple Jump and 100 metres respectively and in the Puttalam District Inter Schools Meet in the under 15 age limit he came first in Long Jump and his school organized a Felicitation Ceremony Along with another two Athletes he was honoured and was adjudged as the under 15 Best Athlete of the school His Prefect of Games is Saman Bandara and the Coach is Nalaka Prasanna Wijesiri and one of their old boys. Anjula too is helping him to develop his skills and talents.