Bimandi Bandara is a bright student at Hillwood College, Kandy.
Last year she won several titles in table tennis. This year she won the national title and is performing well.
The Youth Observer caught up with her to find out how she developed her skills.
Q: People only know you as Bimandi Bandara. I would like to know your full name.
A: My full name is Bimandi Sadinsa Swarnasri Bandara.
But I am known as Bimandi Bandara to most people.
Q: OK Bimandi. Now tell me how you entered the game?
A: My brother was involved in this game and by watching him playing I too was attracted to the game.
Q: How old were you when you first began to play TT?
A: I think I was in grade one, when I started to play this game. I thought it was a very interesting game, because table tennis is a very fast game.
Q: Wasn’t it difficult to learn the game at such a young age?
A: No, it was not difficult because I loved the game. If you begin to learn anything at a young age you will definitely find success in it.
Q: How old are you now and in what grade are you in?
A: I am fifteen years old now and study in grade 11. I have to sit for the GCE Ordinary Level examination this year.
Q: Where do you study?
A: I study at Hillwood College, Kandy.
Q: Are you a Kandyan girl?
A: My native place is Kegalle. I entered Hillwood College as I now live in that area.
Q: What do your parents do?
A: My father and mother are professionals. My mother Champika Rajapaksha is a doctor, while my father Vajira Somasiri is a lawyer.
Q: Talking about your family, how many members are there in your family?
A: I have two older brothers. My eldest brother Uvidu Anjana is a law student. My other brother Chamidu Deelanka is an Advanced Level student at Trinity College.
Q: Are your brothers TT players?
A: Yes, they are involved in this game.
Q: Did you begin to play TT when you joined Hillwood College?
A: No. I began to play table tennis when I was at Sussex College in Kegalle. That was my table tennis breeding ground.
Q: Do you family members support your TT activities?
A: Of course they do. My father, mother and two brothers support me. They always encourage me to go ahead with this game. They are always with me.
Q: Do you have TT coaches?
A: Yes I do. One cannot progress without a coach. I get the help of three coaches to develop my skills. They are Buddhika Dikkumbura, Gayan Liyanage and D.M.G.S. Kumara Sampath. Nirmala Jayasinghe also helps me to develop my talent in this sport.
Q: What are your major victories in the past decade?
A: In 2018, as a 14-year-old girl, I won the national title. In 2019, I participated in the South Asian Games. We won a Silver medal in the team events in TT.
I was also due to take part in the singles event too, but alas I was stricken by dengue, which affected me badly, and I was unable to participate.
Then I played in the 25th Asian Table Tennis Championship last year and was placed among the top thirty players in Asia for the first time. In that tournament was ranked 12th place. I have medals in various table tennis tournaments.
Q: What are your plans for this year?
A: We hope to participate in the Commonwealth Games this year and train hard. I am determined to win a Gold medal. No Sri Lankan TT player has ever won a medal at the Commonwealth Games as yet and I wish to be the first. However, I have to sit for the GCE Ordinary Level Examination this year.
So, I have to make sure that the international meets that I participate in do not clash with the examination time table.
Q: The final question. Where do you usually go for TT practises?
A: I go to Katugastota for practises and I never break my training schedule and work hard during practises.
