Premachandra was a star at the Teheran Asian Games

A. Premachandra

Appunidage Premachandra who was the Captain of the 4X400m Relay Team that participated in the Olympic Games 1980 in Moscow was born on May 18, 1953 in Medawachchiya.

He became interested in sports while pursuing his studies at Gamini MV, Medawachchiya.

His life is a story of determination and courage as he was born in a remote village and had to overcome a host of difficulties in achieving his goals in life. In 1970, when the All-Island Inter-Schools Athletics Meet was held in Medawachchiya, he was able to secure the second place in the 400m event. He was able to improve on this performance and won the 400m event at the All-Island Inter-Schools Athletics Meet in 1972.

Premachandra was able to display his athletic prowess when he joined the Sri Lanka Army. His first athletics coaches were Anthony Abeysinghe and Major B. F. Weerasuriya. From 1974 to 1980 he recorded several victories including the 200m and 400m and his first overseas tour was for the Asian Games in Teheran in 1974.

There, he was a member of the victorious Sri Lanka Team which won the 4X400m event setting up a new Asian Games record. In 1975, he participated in the Indo-Lanka Athletics Meet and in the South Asian Athletics Meet.

In the same year, he was a member of the Sri Lanka Team which won the Bronze Medal in the 4X400m event in a Meet held in Korea. In 1978, he won a Diploma in the 400m event for his performance at the Commonwealth Games held in Edmonton, Canada.

He participated in the Moscow Spartakiad in 1979 and retired from active sports after the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. A Captain in the Sri Lanka Army, Premachandra is the father of a son and a daughter. (C.D)