Sri Lanka will be represented by three boxers at the ASBC Asian Youth Boxing Championships 2019 scheduled to be held from November 8 to 18 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
This is the third international competition for Junior National boxers this year as the Schools Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (SBASL) are in sync with Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) president Dian Gomes' long-term strategy of grooming a new generation of boxing stars for 2022 Commonwealth and Asian Games.
Sri Lanka sent a six-member team for the inaugural ASBC Asian Schoolboys Boxing Championships in Kuwait in July where 14-year-old Ashen Shreemal Thalewalagedara from Sri Dheerananda College, Pilimathalawa outclassed Kuwait's Omar Alotaibi in the preliminary round before going down to Turkmenistan’s Alisher.
Sri Sumangala College, Kandy boxer Yazmin Mohamed Usaith Hossen also created history at the ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships in Fujairah, UAE, when he defeated Malaysia’s Pavithran Kanth in his opening bout before losing to a Kazakhstan fighter in the second round. His success was Sri Lanka’s first ever triumph in the history of the ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships.
Sri Lanka were represented by four boys and four girls in this championship.
Consistent with this policy of giving international exposure to promising school level boxers, three outstanding pugilists have been selected on their performance at the BASL Youth Boys & Girls Boxing Championships held from September 7 to 10 at the Jayathilaka Boxing Stadium in Nawalapitiya. They are J.K.D.T. Rashmika (Vidyarathane University College, Horana), R.G.T.W. Rajapaksha (Kingswood College, Kandy) and J.K.N.T. Nethmina (Narandeniya National School, Kamburupitiya).
They will be accompanied by AIBA 3-Star coach Amila Aravinda, AIBA 1-Star coach Pradeep Jayasinghe and Narandeniya NS Principal D.L. Priyadarshana as manager.
Thonej Rashmika, 18, a Youth and Stubbs Shield winner last year, was adjudged the Best Boxer at the BASL Youth Boys & Girls Boxing Championships this year. He will be fighting in the Bantam weight (56kg) category.
Tharinda Nethmina, a promising young talent from Southern Province, will be boxing in the Fly weight (52kg) while Rajapaksha will be competing in the Light Fly weight (49kg) category.
Boxers born in 2001 or in 2002 are eligible to compete in the ASBC Asian Youth Men and Women Boxing Championships. The last edition of this Championships was held in Bangkok in April 2018 which was a Qualifier for the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games and for the Budapest AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships.
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