The Sri Lanka Rowing Association, led by its Technical Director Pedro Sanz, has initiated an extensive programme aimed at developing junior rowing talents, targeting individuals between the ages of 12 and 15.
Pedro Sanz, a qualified coach in both classic and coastal rowing, has been working with the Sri Lanka Federation for the past two years and is the mastermind behind this development programme.
“We’ve launched a talent development programme for 12 to 15-year-olds, consisting of about 35 athletes. The programme is progressing well, thanks to the support from the Federation and the parents of the athletes,” shared Pedro Sanz.
The primary goal is to train these junior athletes, enabling them to transition more easily and quickly to the international level. Sanz emphasized, “Our strategy is to identify talent at a young age, prepare them, and make their performance improvement more achievable.”
He highlighted the challenges of starting at an older age, stating, “If not, it will be difficult when you start over 18 years to learn the proper technique, values of disciplines, and how to train. So, all that is very difficult later on.”
The selection process for the programme involved picking 35 athletes through the recent Indoor Rowing Championship. The Sri Lanka Rowing Youth Talent Development Pool includes students from various schools: (Bishop’s College): Kimali de Alwis, Yenara Hewagama, Soraya Deheragoda, Dhanya Aluwihare, Anita Wickramsinghe. (Visakha Vidyalaya): Seneli Perera,
Hirundi Gamage, Dinuli Dahanayake, Yesali Jayakody. (Musaeus College): Hansalee Collure, Senudi Mendis, Nikini Aluthge. (Ladies’ College): Vinugi Jayasinghe, Chantelle Perera. (Asian International School): Shayden Gunaratna, Lqman Rizmeer, Joel Weerasingham, Diyan Haleemdeem, Sonal Tranchell. (Gateway College): Ganindu Kirinde, Nathon Gregory.
(Gateway Negombo): Luqman Deen, Ometh Pathirana, Uvin Chanuth Peiris. (S Thomas’ College): Denver Deheragoda, Rishen Samarasinghe. (St Peter’s College): Akein Guruge, Janik Abeygoonewardena. (Wesley College): Fadhil Fazal. (DS Senanayake College): Akein Randinu.
(Diyawanna Rowing Academy): Isith Karunaratne
This initiative aims to nurture and prepare young talents for future success in the field of rowing, creating a strong foundation for Sri Lanka’s rowing.
Sajeewa Jayakody
