Sajeev de Silva, Sri Lanka’s sole archer representing the Archery World Cup, concluded his journey in the Hyundai World Archery Cup held in Berlin, Germany over the weekend. De Silva’s performance placed him at the 65th position out of 168 archers worldwide in the Recurve Men event.
In a closely contested match, Sajeev de Silva faced off against China’s Li Zhongyuan, ultimately conceding the victory with a score of 7-3 in favour of Zhongyuan. As a result of his performance in the tournament, Sajeev de Silva’s World Rankings are now positioned at 299.
Reflecting on his performance, de Silva commented, “I have identified a few areas that require improvement, and I am targeting these key points to enhance my performance for the forthcoming Asian Games next month in China.” Notably, de Silva had previously ascended to the 116th position in the world rankings, showcasing his dedication and progress.
The Archery World Cup highlighted a strong showing from Asian archers, particularly from Korea. Kim Woojin of Korea secured the Men’s Recurve Championship, while the USA’s Casey Kaufhold clinched the title in the Recurve Women’s category. In the Recurve Men Team Championships, Korea emerged victorious, claiming the gold medal and relegating Chinese Taipei to the silver position. Neighboring India secured the bronze medal in this category, adding to the Asian dominance. The Recurve Women’s Team event saw a similar trend, with Korea securing the gold medal, followed by Chinese Taipei with the silver and India with the bronze.
In preparation for the upcoming Asian Games, Sajeev de Silva has wasted no time and has immediately flown to South Korea for training. He is accompanied by fellow Sri Lankan archers Chandana Abeygunasekara and Kavin Guanratne, along with their coach Nissanka Chandrasinghe. They are participating in the Asia Archery Challenge, a friendly Joint Training Programme that brings together 60 archers from across Asia.
Sajeewa Jayakody