Youth Olympic medallist’s coach sets up high-altitude training centre at Nuwara Eliya 

by Reemus Fernando 

Janitha Jayasinghe who trained and mentored Kuliyapitiya Central College athlete Paarami Wasanthi Maristella to win the country’s first Youth Olympic medal went out of the radar of track and field enthusiasts just a few months after the historic victory. After being out of the country for two years, the former Physical Training Instructor of Kuliyapitiya Central has returned with a solution to the very problem he faced in the run up to 2018 Youth Olympics, a high-altitude training facility at Nuwara Eliya.

Jayasinghe was among dozens of coaches who bring their athletes to Nuwara Eliya for high altitude training every season. “High altitude training is a must for endurance athletes. One of the major problems we faced when we came for high altitude training at Nuwara Eliya was the lack of facilities. I have now set up a high-altitude training centre with accommodation, gym and other training facilities for those who are interested in obtaining them,” said Jayasinghe in an interview with The Island after the first batch of athletes camped at the ‘Ovex High Altitude Training Centre’ at Nuwara Eliya yesterday.

Asked as to what made him leave the country just months after his athlete won the Youth Olympic medal he said: “My initial plan was to obtain a transfer from Kuliyapitiya to Nuwara Eliya so that I could train Paarami to the next level. But soon after I found that the Sports Ministry and Sri Lanka Athletics had planned to bring down a Kenyan expert to train Paarami and others, I decided that I should do something for myself. I left the country for Singapore to persevere a degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Edinburg Napier University (UK). I wanted to study for Masters but the Covid 19 pandemic forced me to change plans and return.”

Jayasinghe has set up his high-altitude training centre at Shanthipura, the highest elevated village in Sri Lanka. According to Jayasinghe the facility at Shanthipura can accommodate over 50 athletes. His aim is to provide the facility to interested coaches and teams of athletes to use during their high-altitude training season. “Teams can come here and use the facility and they also can obtain my expertise and can train under my supervision as well,” said Jayasinghe who is also a World Athletics Level II coach.

“The facility is not restricted to endurance athletes. It is also available for athletes of all sports. Enthusiasts who want to improve their endurance with high altitude training can use our facilities.”

A Sports Ministry funded High Altitude Training Centre at Nuwara Eliya had been in the pipelines for more than a decade now. Coaches and athletes, specially, the endurance enthusiasts have been waiting to see the day when they would be able to obtain such a facility at Nuwara Eliya. “It is a difficult task for a person like me. It needs the patronage of institutions like the Sports Ministry to run a facility like this. I am much obliged if such an institution come forward to support this. In fact, I revealed my plan to authorities after Paarami won the Youth Olympic medal in 2018. But there was no positive response then.”