Dilshani Wasana Mendis volleyball player and athlete par excellence-by Dilwin Mendis

Source:Dailynews

Albaradura Dilshani Wasana Mendis has come up with fine performances in Volleyball and Athletics and she was selected to represent Sri Lanka in Athletics for the South Asian Games but was unfortunate to miss that golden opportunity due to illness.

Meanwhile in addition she represented her Alma Mater in Elle, Cricket and Netball and Captained all three teams. She had the distinction of leading her school Agamathi Balika Vidyalaya in five games and it is a very rare achievement and perhaps it may be a record for her school.

Dilshani commenced her schooling at Sri Chandrasekera Vidyalaya at Horethuduwa, Panadura and . she was the under 11 Champion in 2009 and 2010 and she swept the board in 200, 400 metres and long jump events with ease she was selected to the under eleven Athletic Squad of Panadura electorate.

During this period she joined the Badminton Club of Panadura and came under Mrs. Surangi and she was selected for the Final Squad. After passing the Grade Five Examination she joined Agamathi Balika Vidyalaya, Panadura in 2011 and straight away she was selected to the Under 14 Volleyball Team and was the Captain and subsequently she captained her school Volleyball Team in all age groups in 2016. 17, 19 and 20.

Under her leadership her school won the Divisional, Zonal and Provincial Tournaments and in 2016 and 2017 they were the second runner up and first runner up respectively.

They were the third in Provincial Tournament in 2019. With these performances under her belt she was selected for the 24 member squad for Junior Nationals in 2020 and later she was selected to the 12 member National Squad for Beach Volleyball.

Her school won the Second Place in the National Volleyball Tournament representing the Western Province.

They became third in 2016 in the under 19 Western Province Volleyball Tournament conducted by Royal College, Colombo and in the under 19 age group in 2017 and 2018 they were the runners up and Dilshani was adjudged Best Ball Receiver in 2017 and Best Spiker 2018 and at the District Volleyball Tournament they were the runner up and she received the Best Spikers Award. She was awarded the under 18 Best Players Award and her school were the Champions and again she carried away the Best Players Award at Kalutara Meet.

In the Munchee National Championship they were the Runners Up in 2014 and 2015 and champions in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and in the National Tournament they were the Runners Up in Open Event.

In the DSI Super Sports Volleyball Championship they were the Champions in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In addition they won the under 13 to 21 age group Championship in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 and finally in the District Level two in the age group 15 to 21 and they were the Champions in all these groups.

In addition Dilshani was the Champion Athlete in all age groups at her school Inter House Sports Meets and her events were Javelin, Putt Shot and discus throw She was the Zonal Champion from 2014-2019 She was the Best Athlete of Kalutara District.

She won several events in the Provincial Meets from 2015 to 2019 and she set the record in 2018 in putt shot She won colours in 2015 and re awarded in 2019. In the all island Championship she won the Javelin throw in the Under 15 age group She won All Island Colours from 2015 to 2019.

In the Junior Nationals she won places and in 2019 she came first in the under 20 Putt Shot Event.

In John Tarbet Meet from 2014 to 2019 representing the school she won places School Games Coach Miss. Amoda Kalpani the Deputy Principal Anuradha Welikala the Principal N. K. M. N. Malani the Prefect of Games Mrs. Champa Nishanthi and Volleyball Coach Mrs. Jayamali Rodrigo were always supportive of her.

In addition she played Elle, Cricket, Netball for her school She was the School Athletics Captain from 2016 to 2020 and 2018 and 2019 she was the Schools Games Captain and at the Schools Colours Nite she was adjudged the Best Player for the years of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019. During her career in Athletics Nimal Jayakody, . Prabath and Kingsley Harshana and in Volleyball Saman Devapriya, Sampath Kumara and Mrs. Ransith and Prefect of Games Mrs. Champa Nishanthi has helped her in numerous ways.