Manjula hoping to leap over his own record

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Sri Lanka’s ace high jumper for over a decade, Manjula Kumara is currently attending a training in Melbourne, Australia under the Australian Olympic High Jump coach Alessandro Bisetto.

Manjula has been an ageless wonder in the high jumping arena and is still peerless in the local competitions.  He has held the national record for the event for the last 13 years having leapt 2.27m in 2004 which is to date the national record and the highest point any Sri Lankan has reached in the event.

A double gold medalist at the Asian Championships, Manjula won his first at the 2005 edition in Incheon, South Korea clearing 2.27m which is his personal best jump. His second gold in the Asian Championship came in the Guangzhou, China where he cleared a height of 2.23m. Manjula is also the leading high jumper in the region having won the Gold medal at the South Asian games in 2004 , 2005 and most recently in 2016. Manjula received the highest honor for any athlete when he became an Olympian at the 2004 Athens Olympics in Greece.

Manjula recorded a mouthwatering performance of 2.25m at the recently concluded national trials which was held in Diyagama. It was an impeccable show by the champion high jumper given the fact that he barely had any competition and the synthetic track where the competition was conducted had deteriorated to the extent where the concrete underneath was visible.

With the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games lined up as major competitions this year, The Ministry of Sports, National Olympic Committee & the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka has worked together to provide Manjula with a specialized training in Australia. He will be training at the Melbourne University under Australian Olympic High Jump coach Alessandro Bisetto until the Commonwealth games which will be held from 4th to 15th April n Gold Coast.

Speaking to ThePapare.com Manjula was thankful for everyone who supported him secure this opportunity

“Sports ministry, NOC and AASL helped me to get this training opportunity. I really like to thank them for giving me this opportunity. However, without Miss Anula Costa’s support this whole thing would not have happened. Miss Costa is the one who got the best coach, training venues, gym and the accommodation. Moreover, when I first arrived in Melbourne, she arranged everything what I needed and she always want me to focus and train well. I would like to give a big thanks to her for all the support.”

Manjula is determined to renew the Men’s High Jump national record which he already holds, powered with the specialist training that he will receive in Australia. If the determined high jumper can achieve this feat it will put him in medal contention at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

“My end goal is to break the National record which I already hold and to do well at the Commonwealth and Asian games and bring glory to Sri Lanka.” said a fully focused Manjula about his aspirations for the upcoming competitions.

Despite the many injuries, lack of competition and basic facilities to better his performance, this ambitious athlete has become a role model to the young athletes of the country due to his commitment and the discipline he has showcased for the sport throughout the years despite being the undisputed champion in his discipline.  

We at ThePapare.com hope that Manjula Kumara will be able to make the most of the training opportunity that has been provided and look forward to a podium finish at the Commonwealth games and the Asian Games.