Sri Lanka’s wheelchair tennis star Ranjan Dharmasena is ready to give his best for the country when he competes in the 16th Paralympics next week in Tokyo, Japan.
Dharmasena qualified for the Tokyo Games when he received a bipartite invitation after his excellent performance in the World Team Cup Qualification rounds held in Portugal.
In 2009, when he was on duty in the Pottuvil Lagoon, a mortar was approaching and young Dharmasena was able to jump out of the way.
He managed to save his life but disaster struck when he fell on an anti-personnel mine. His left foot was severely damaged and eventually amputated.
“When I started wheelchair tennis I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about the game. Those days I barely had the strength to hit the ball.”
“As time went by my passion towards the game grew. My coach Jagath Welikala helped me to understand my strengths and abilities.”
Dharmasena has won over 30 championships in an illustrious career spanning over 11 years and he is determined to create history in Tokyo by winning a medal.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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