Anusha Hits Road To London

By T M K Samat

THE ABA’s hopes of Olympic qualification via its women boxers were given a shot in the arm by AIBA, no less.
The world body has invited fly weight Anusha Kodituwakku to attend its Road to London training program in Wales, from Feb 18 –March 10. She is one of seventeen women boxers who AIBA considers “potential medalists” from the developing countries. The basis for the 32-year Sri Lankan’s selection was her impressive performance in the 2010 World Championships in Barbados, winning three fights to enter the quarterfinals. She is also three-time Asian Championship bronze medalist.
Kodituwakku  underwent a similar AIBA-sponsored training program in 2010 prior to the World Championship – and the benefits were reflected in her performance in Barbados.  “Obviously, three weeks of training under world class coaches is going to do Anusha a world of good – and the timing of this training could not have been better: she returns from Wales (on March 11) and then flies out to Mongolia (on March 15) for the Asian Championship,’’ said Dhilhara Seimon, Manager of the team and ABA committee member. “Her real test, however, is in the Olympic qualifier in May (9th-20th) in China. We’re hoping she succeeds in Mongolia and so boost her own confidence for the Olympic qualifier.’’
Kodituwakku, however, isn’t the only egg in ABA’s Olympic basket. Women’s boxing, which debuts in the 2012 London Olympics, will feature only three weight categories – and the ABA is casting its net in all three ponds (fly, light and middle weights). Whilst Kodituwakku trains in Wales, light weight Nilmini Jayasinghe and middle weight Shiromalee Weeraratne, joined by Kosala Nilimini (whose light-fly class is omitted from this Olympics) will engage in a 10-day training stint in the Philippines – before competing in the Philippines National Championships.
“Originally, the Philippine excursion was only about training with their national squad, but they’ve now told we could, if we wish, compete in their nationals as well – and we jumped at the offer. It is a wonderful opportunity to gain fight-experience just before the Asian Championships,’’ said Ms. Seimon.
Sri Lanka is to send a six-strong team  for the Mongolian campaign. Besides Kodituwakku and the trio who are to train in the Philippines, bantam weight Vidushika Prabathi and  feather Sithari Sandarekha too are to wear the national vest in Mongolia.
“Fielding six representatives out of maximum of ten is, I think, a fairly large team for any country to send out. But with the popularity of women’s boxing here on the up  and some notable international successes achieved, it makes sense to give the participants as many incentives as possible,’’ said Ms.Seimon.
She might have included the men participants too as far as disbursement of incentives go. For, despite our chances of Olympic participation in the men’s competition almost nil, the ABA is hoping against hope that one might perform a miracle in the Asian Olympic qualifier, April 4-13 in Kazakhstan.
It will be recalled Sri Lanka’s three-man team to the Asian Championships last November were all eliminated in the first round. Notwithstanding the failure, an Olympic qualifier selection trial is to be held Feb.27-29 in the Unichela Stadium, Panadura.
“The trial is to be restricted to just two weight classes, fly and bantam. The Olympic slots allotted by AIBA to these two weights are more than what has been set aside for the other weights – for instance the feather and the light fly classes, in which we have some good boxers, has been  allotted just one place each. It wouldn’t feasible fielding boxers for those weights,’’ said Mahesh Dahanayake, ABA Secretary. “The fly weight class will have four Olympic slots and bantam, three – and we’re expecting 16-20 boxers to have an ambitious go at securing those places.’’