Friday Sep 20, 2024
Friday Sep 20, 2024
Monday, 2 September 2019 00:54 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Buwaneka Goona-thilleke, a member of the SLIIT Badminton Team, won the Singles crown at the 14th UiTM International Sports Fiesta 2019 held recently.
Winning gold medal at the Badminton Men’s event, Buwaneka beat Indra Bayu Sentosa of Yogyakarta State University Indonesia. Showcasing his fantastic form, he beat players from the Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia, Yogyakarta State University Indonesia and Gadjah Mada University Indonesia.
On the road to winning the Single events in Round 1, Buwaneka beat Ahmad Mahayudin of Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia, scoring 21-7, 21-11. In the quarter-final match he beat Andri Wijaya of Yogyakarta State University 21-17, 21-10. During the semi-final match with Ahmad Faiz Fadri from Gadjah Mada University the scores were 21-18, 21-10. In the final he won against Indra Bayu Sentosa of Yogyakarta State University 21-11, 21-7.
Organised by the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), the UiTM International Sports Fiesta was held from 31 July to 3 August. This year’s event attracted 27 universities representing Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Brunei, China, Nepal, Singapore, Philippines and Australia.
Buwaneka took his place in the SLIIT history books as this was the first time a Sri Lankan has won a gold medal at this tournament. A total of nine universities competed in badminton.
An elated Buwaneka said, “It was a memorable week for me and I am very proud to represent SLIIT and to have been able to bring back glory. The team spirit off and on court was very encouraging.”
“We are extremely proud of Buwaneka and the team. At SLIIT we promote a holistic environment encouraging our students not only in studies but also in all their extra-curricular activities. We believe our badminton team’s future looks very promising not only for SLIIT but also in representing the sport at a national level,” said SLIIT Vice Chancellor/CEO Prof. Lalith Gamage.
A proud product of Richmond College, Buwaneka was honoured as a Richmond Knight for the year 2015. He has demonstrated his sporting prowess in badminton since 2014, winning several championships.
At SLIIT, students engage in a wide range of sports activities, including 17 sports. The Malabe campus consists of excellent indoor and outdoor sports facilities such as a large playground, tennis courts, a basketball court, indoor badminton courts and a well-equipped gymnasium.
Additionally, the SLIIT Sports Council promotes a host of sports and recreational activities. Throughout the years, SLIIT students have performed extremely well in the national and international sporting arena.
With the SLIIT’s Sports Year officially under way, the 2019 Open Tournaments for Badminton, Tennis and Table Tennis were duly held in February. The objective of organising such events was creating and nurturing an interest in sports amongst students, identifying potential new talent to represent SLIIT at future events and supporting students in balancing a well-rounded life.
