Kakeru and Danuk top performers at Tibhar International TT

Monday, 19th of March 2018

A n a n d a C o l l e g e ’ s Kakeru Hennayake and Danuk Lamasooriya , Selini and Nalini Herath were top performers at the a n n u a l T i b h a r International Table Tennis Tournament was held for the sixth successive year at the Colombo University Gymnasium. Over 60 boys and girls who are members of the Tibhar Table Tennis Academy took part at the tournament. The tournament was worked off with players categorized in to different age groups such as Under- 8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-15 and Under-18 for both boys and girls. In addition a novices segment was played. Special mention should be made of Kakeru Hennayake of Ananda College who won the Under-15 boys event and who is in top in both the Under-10 and 12 boys current National Rankings.

Tibhar a well-known brand name as a manufacturer and supplier of world renowned TT equipment is represented in Sri Lanka b y B u d d h a s i r i Withanachchi. Identifying junior players for their potential the academy always sponsor such talent. A sponsorship package has been offered to Kakeru and Danuk both from Ananda. Unearthing raw talent and guiding them in the correct spirit and motivating to reach greater heights is the objective of the academy which is managed by two former N a t i o n a l p l a y e r s Buddhasiri Withanachchi and Namal Gunasekera.

Coaching the paddlers in a systematic and scientific manner the duo should be happy at the results of the youngsters who took part. Buddhasiri, a former National player who represented the country at various International tournaments is a recognised coach with Level 3 qualifications enabling him to take part in the High Performance Coaching Programme conducted by the International Table Tennis Federation. Joining hands with him is his wife Namal Gunasekera, who is a former National champion and captain of the Sri Lanka team. She too is an ITTF qualified coach having obtained the Level 2 qualifications.

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