Sri Lanka’s cricketers won the World Cup by moving into the global showpiece bubbling with enthusiastic and joyful minds, happy to be mentored by their ever endearing coach Dav Whatmore.
Some 26 years down the line, a village schoolgirl Nethmi Fernando in her own words and revelation confessed she had to undergo beatings at the hands of a person she called ‘master’ to win a bronze medal in wrestling at this month’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
In a television media interview that has gone viral on social media platforms, Nethmi said: I was hit by master to get to where I am. I did not reveal this to my home people. Seeing it my mother cried. But giving them (family) sadness and not being able to win a medal would have brought them more sadness.”
Her mother flanked her during the interview.
Nethmi won the bronze medal when she beat an Australian, but her confession is likely to trouble elders and parents who may or may not be aware of what their children are subjected to in order to attain their dreams or reach their goals in life in a Sri Lankan sports set up that grows unhealthy without check year after year.