Mahesh Jayakody first SL oarsman to compete at Para Games-by Dhammika Ratanweera

Mahesh Jayakody

Oarsman Mahesh Jayakody will be Sri Lanka’s first Para Athlete to be seen in action at the 16th Tokyo Games in Japan tomorrow.

Jayakody has already created history as the first yachtsman to represent Sri Lanka at the Para Games and he will compete in the PR1 Men’s 1X Singles Sculls event at the Sea Forest Waterway, commencing at 12.40 p.m.

The former schoolboy of Dodangaslanda Central College, Kurunegala and the Staff Sergeant of the Army Special Forces Unit was injured in the battlefront in

Puthukkudiyiruppu on April 7, 2009. Jayakody followed a three-month training stint in China before making his international debut in 2017. It paid dividends as he won a Silver Medal at the 2019 Asian Para Championships in Bangkok, Thailand. “Winning at a Continental event in Tokyo gave me a lot of confidence to take part in the Paralympics.”

“I was able to get a lot of experience by participating along with competitors from Japan and China at this qualification event,” added Jayakody.