Sri Lanka’s Manju Wanniarachchi on Wednesday won Commonwealth Games gold in the bantamweight division for Sri Lanka’s first boxing title in 72 years.
The 30-year-old from Kandy won a points decision 16-14 to beat Welsh teenager Sean McGoldrick over three rounds in a closely contested bout in which the scores were tied 7-7.
The rugged Sri Lankan was deservedly declared the winner on a countback of the individual scores of the judges after being the more aggressive of the two fighters.
Barney Hennricus won Sri Lanka’s only boxing gold medal at the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney. Sri Lankan boxers won two silver and a bronze medal at the next edition of the Games in Auckland in 1950.
“I’m very happy because I worked hard for this. I’m grateful to Dian Gomes for giving me the strength to continue boxing when I was thinking of giving up,” said Wanniarachchi who was overcome with emotion after his historic triumph.
“I was determined to win the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. I’m happy I can return home proudly with this achievement,” he said.
The first round was scored even 3-3 while Wanniarachchi who hails from the central hill capital of Kandy trailed 5-6 after the second round.
Wanniarachchi nosed ahead of the 18-year-old from Newport 7-6 during the third round but the Welshman levelled with about 20 seconds remaining.
“It is a great day for Sri Lanka boxing. I think it was one the great victories we had,” said the manager of the Sri Lanka team Dian Gomes speaking to Emirates 24|7 from New Delhi.
“It went to the wire. But at the end of the day we are taking home a medal after 72 years,” said the former president of the Amateur Boxing Association of Sri Lanka.
“We thought he we would win much better because Manju is much stronger and more experienced. But the Welsh boxer very well and Manju could not get his right hand working,” said Gomes who was in the corner during this historic triumph.
Asked whether he was worried when Wanniarachchi trailed at the end of the second round, Gomes said: “I was very worried. Especially when it was 7-7, I was really worried.”
He thanked the Indian crowd for their great support. “We were totally supported by good Indian spectators,” he said with former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar having suffered a surprising defeat to Julie from Mauritius in the quarter-finals,.
Gomes has not given up on the Olympic dream for Wanniarachchi. “He will most probably box at the Asian Games and then look at the Olympics,” he said.
“This victory a result of Dian Gomes persisting with Manju. He never lost faith in him whereas I also resigned as national coach in March,” said R.K. Indrasena who had been Sri Lanka’s national boxing coach for over a decade.
“Manju fought very well. I’m very happy with the result. It is because of his leadership that Sri Lanka finally won a gold medal,” said Indrasena speaking from Sri Lanka.
“It is a big triumph for Sri Lanka,” said Indrasena who doubted Wanniarachchi would go all the way. “But when he entered the final I knew he would win.”
“It was very close but quite good fight. He finally achieved what he should have done long ago,” said a boxing analyst from Sri Lanka Priantha Malavi.
Asked about the reaction of people back home, he said they seem to be quite elated because it only gold medal Sri Lanka has won at this Games.
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