Summa Navaratnam
Sri Lanka’s legendary sportsman of the past Sumanthiran (Summa) Navaratnam passed away on Thursday at the ripe age of 98.
At one time the fastest man on the track in Asia, Sumana Navaratnam was a speeder par excellence, a rugby player of delight and a coach and a business executive.
Navaratnam began his sporting career at Royal College Colombo where he obtained education of a high standard. He rose to the spotlight in athletics at Royal as a 15 year old and became the youngest athletics coloursman who also won colours in boxing at a tender age.
The former Royal and CR&FC rugby player was president of the Ceylon Rugby Football Union for some time and also served in the Army Voluntary Force and the State Trading Corporation. He also held dual citizenship here and in Australia.
Summa coached Royal juniors at rugby for many years and later he started his own rugby academy at the College that was called ‘Royal Junior Rugby Academy’.
His cremation was held at the General Cemetery in Borella attended by a large gathering of mourners that included former sports personalities in the field of rugby and athletics.
