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“I am determined to win”- says Vidanage as he receives Queen’s Baton

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Weightlifters Chinthana Vithanage and Dinusha Hansani with the Queen's Baton.

by Reemus Fernando

Weightlifter Chanthana Vidanage said that he was working hard to accomplish a difficult task of winning a medal when he takes part in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. The 40-year-old who inspired youth to take up weightlifting with his gold medal victory at the 2006 Commonwealth Games will be competing in his sixth games in Birmingham this year.

“I will attempt to win a medal there. That is my goal. There will be a tough competition but I am determined and am working hard to achieve that,” Vidanage said in an interview with The Island after receiving the Queen’s Baton in its Sri Lanka leg yesterday.

Vidanage will be competing in the 81kg category. Vidanage won a bronze at the recently held Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships where he lifted a total weight of 300kgs. Weightlifter from Polonnaruwa established a new Sri Lanka record with a total weight of 306 kgs prior to that event.

The Queen’s Baton – the forerunner to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games was welcomed in Sri Lanka at the Bandaranaike International Airport making it the 25th of its destinations yesterday. The Baton will travel to selected locations in the country until its departure on January 6.

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