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03
THILINI JAYASINGHE |
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Young badminton virtuoso
Thilini Jayasinghe holds the distinction of
being the first Sri Lankan woman to qualify from
badminton to represent her country at the
Olympic Games. At 23 years of age, Thilini is
seen as a strong medal prospect for Sri Lanka.
Hailing from the hill country of Kandy, Thilini
was a frequent visitor on the campus of
Peradeniya University, where both her parents
worked. It was a chance happening that one day,
when watching a badminton tournament at the
campus, she was called upon to play: there were
not enough players, and she was needed to
complete a draw. Thilini competed and won her
firstbadminton game – and has never looked back.
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Thilini has won all the Sri Lankan titles there
have been to take, in both the junior and senior
categories, including the Senior Nationals. She
has also had considerable international
exposure, having competed in the 2007 Badminton
World Championships in Malaysia and the Doha
Asian Games and Melbourne Commonwealth Games in
2006.Her
qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympics has
been nothing short of a dream for Thilini. Given
that it was a success largely of her own making
was even more gratifying. Thilini funded herself
for a number of international tournaments, but
could only afford to appear at six : and ten was
the minimum needed to be eligible to qualify for
the Olympics. However, a change in policy meant
that Thilini’s hard work and determination paid
off, allowing this young woman a chance to live
her dream to its fullest
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