Boxers eye six SAG gold medals

By Desmond Samith

Sri Lanka’s six-member boxing team under experienced Kamal Sameera will take part in the forthcoming South Asian Games, and Boxing Association’s Secretary Lt Col Hemantha Weerasinghe is confident that the team can win six gold medals.
The 11th SAG will be held in Bangladesh from January 29 to February 9.
Sameera who will vie in bantamweight has a SAG silver and PM Tennekoon (light fly) a bronze. Apart from them the team looks inexperienced, but Weerasinghe said the boxers maybe young and raw but they had trained well for the event.
“They trained at the ring in Pannala for close to six months,” he said. “Apart from that they toured Thailand for two weeks, fought national boxers there and did well.”
The team has trained under national coach Capt RK Indrasena and Cuban coach Rafael Elias. And Weerasinghe said the boxers were also given psychological sessions by Chamila Sri Kodikara.
“That’s (mental conditioning) something new,” he said.
“With the motivation they have received from those sessions I think they can bring down those six gold medals.”

Sri Lanka boxing team for the SAG:
Kamal Sameera (Slimline) bantamweight –under 54kg, PM Tennekoon (Army) light flyweight – under 48kg, PD Suresh (Air Force) flyweight – under 51kg, NS de Silva (Slimline) featherweight – under 57kg, KK Jayasundara (Navy) lightweight – under 60kg, RS Kumarasinghe (Navy) light welterweight – under 64kg.
Capt RK Indrasena (Coach), Udeni Kiridena (Manager).