Goonethilleke clinches triple titles at 71st Badminton Nationals; Liyanage wins women’s crown

MS open  winner Buwaneka Goonethileka

WS open winner Ranithma Liyanage

Buwaneka Goonethilleke emerged victorious in the 71st National Badminton Championship organised by the Sri Lanka Badminton Institute, securing not one, but three coveted titles.

At the Mercantile Indoor Badminton Stadium, the Championships culminated in an electrifying finale that showcased Goonethilleke’s exceptional skills.

Goonethilleke dominated the men’s open singles finals, overpowering Viren Nettasinghe with a dominant scoreline of 21-16 and 21-7. The intensity continued in the open mixed doubles final, where Goonethilleke partnered with Natasha Gunasekara to triumph over the duo of Madhuka Dulanjana and Butmi Galagama, securing victory with scores of 21-13,  15-21, and 21-18. In the open men’s doubles final, Goonethilleke joined forces with Nettasinghe to defeat Lahiru Weerasinghe and Madhuka Dulanjana with a scoreline of  21-15 and 23-21.

Meanwhile, the open women’s singles final witnessed Ranitma Liyanage claiming the national title by defeating Warangana Jayawardene with a commanding show, sealing the victory 21-10, 21-6.

Adding to the excitement, Jananuwani Amanda De Alwis and Hasara Wijerathne clinched the open women’s doubles division title at the championship’s conclusion. The duo secured their victory by defeating Dilini Ambalangodage and Ranumi Manage with scores of 15-21, 21-9, and 21-18. 

The presentation ceremony was graced by the presence of esteemed officials, including 

K. Mahesan, Secretary of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs Dr. Shemal Fernando, Sports Director General Rohan De Silva, Sri Lanka Badminton President Atula Wijewardena, School Badminton Association President and Education Ministry Assistant Director Prabhath Indika.   

71st National Badminton Championship winners

• Open Men’s Singles - Buwaneka Goonethilleke
• Open Women’s Singles -Ranithma Liyanage
• Open Men’s Doubles - Buwaneka Goonethilleke/Viren Nettasinghe
• Open Women’s Doubles - Jananuwani Amanda de Alvis/Hasara Wijerathne
• Open Mixed Doubles - Buwaneka Goonethilleke/Natasha Gunasekara

Senior Division

Over 30

• Men’s Singles - Prasanna Udayakumara
• Women’s Singles - Nadisha Gayatri
• Men’s Doubles - Rajitha Dahanayake/Lahiru Madhushan
• Mixed Doubles - Prasanna Udayakumara/Nadisha Gayatri

Over 35

• Men’s Singles - Roshan Padmakumara
• Women’s Singles - Renu Chandrika De Silva
• Men’s Doubles - Anushka Lakshan/Roshan Padmakumara Over 40
• Men’s Singles - Hemantha Kodituwakku 
• Men’s Doubles - Amila Yatapana/Nishantha Jayamanna
• Mixed Doubles - Hiruna Dissanayake/Asangi Koditutukku 

Over 45

• Men’s Singles - Subhash Janaka
• Women’s Singles - Priyanka Abeyratne
• Men’s Doubles - Clarence Homer/Duminda Jayakodi
• Women’s Doubles - Priyanka Abeyratne/Vipuli Seneviratne
• Mixed Doubles - Duminda Jayakodi/Priyanka Abeyratne

Over 50

• Men’s Singles - Duminda Jayakodi
• Women’s Singles - Vipuli Seneviratne
• Men’s Doubles - Nihal Amarasena/Duminda Somanayake
• Women’s Doubles - Thushari Brahmanage/Shriani Jayalath
• Mixed Doubles - Subhash Janaka Silva/Vipuli Seneviratne

Over 55

• Men’s Singles - Niroshan Wijekoon
• Women’s Singles - Mercy Hariharan
• Men’s Doubles - N. Wijesekara/Niroshan Wijekon

Over 60

• Men’s Singles - Anoj Tillakaratne
• Men’s Doubles - Rohan de Silva/Rohan Fernando
• Mixed Doubles - Suher Aziz/Shriani Jayalath

Over 65

• Men’s Singles - Amaratunga Liyanage
• Men’s Doubles - E.M. Chandralika/Mohammed Azhar

Over 70 

• Men’s Singles - Sunil Jayasiri