Buwaneka Goonethilleke emerged victorious in the 71st National Badminton Championship organized 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 final, 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 Prabhath Indika, Education Ministry Assistant Director.
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