A six-member Sri Lanka weight lifting team is listed to take part in the Asian Weight Lifting Championships which is scheduled to be held in Ninbho, China conducted from April 18 to 28.The meet will serve as a qualification event for the 2020 Olympics and is a good exposure for Sri Lankans before the forthcoming South Asian Games in Nepal in December.
Four men and two women have been selected to take part. Chinthana Geethal Vithanage is the most experienced in the tour party.
The 37-year old from Polonnaruwa won the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medal (62kg) in Melbourne and a silver medal (69kg) in 2010 at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010. He will compete in the 81kgs weight class in the Asian Championships.
Meanwhile 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medal winner in the Gold Coast Indika Dissanayake (69kg) will compete in the 73kgs weight class while two others Thilanga Palangasinghe who also took part in the last Commonwealth Games will compete in the 61kgs. Isuru Kumara will compete in the 55kgs event.
Hansani Gomes who won the bronze medal at the last Commonwealth Games in the 48kgs will compete in the 49kg while Chamari Warnakulasuriya will compete in the 55kgs.Chamari finished fourth at the last Commonwealth Games.
Experienced coach R.B Wickramasinghe will accompany the contestants while PKN Dian will be the assistant coach.
DSS Welikala is the manager and TUMB Jayatilleka the physiotherapist.