Ratnapura youth Akila claims silver medal at Asian Youth Games

Friday, 30 August 2013 04:27 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

16-year-old Akila Ravishanka won a silver medal in the Boys 110 metres hurdles at the recently concluded Asian Youth Games in Nanjing, China. A student of Seevali College – Ratnapura, Akila finished the event with a personal best of 13.99. In January 2013, Janashakthi Insurance handpicked Akila for their ongoing rural athlete sponsorship program. Since then, the company has

supported the young athlete in pursuing his athletic career.

Janashakthi’s rural athlete program provides the selected athletes a monthly sponsorship plus incentive payments based on their individual performances. In addition, Janashakthi provides these athletes with technical guidance and psychological motivation through various methods such as opportunities to personally meet top former Sri Lankan athletes. The athletes also receive support with overseas travel whenever they are selected to compete in international events. Expressing his happiness on winning the medal, Akila said: “It feels very good and this silver medal is very special for me. There are many people I want to thank. One is my coach Indika Jayasinghe and I am also grateful to Janashakthi for their constant support and guidance.”