Through my work with Metasport, I have had the pleasure with meeting and working with a young man from the rural Sri Lankan village of Hikkadia, His name is Lakruwan Wijesiri or ‘Lucky’ for short.
He has been able to come to Singapore on several training and racing stints through an NGO called the Foundation of Goodness. They reach out to aspiring athletes in rural communities in Sri Lanka in need of a helping hand. Lucky came to their attention after his home was washed away in the 2004 Tsunami. He was 13 at the time. Largely through his own effort working with random groups in Sri Lanka, Lucky has won the Sri Lanka Triathlon Nationals 4 years in a row. He’s now also employed full time by the Navy and they give him an allowance to train.
He used to train a lot on his own but without any real guidance. When I met him, he was keen to raise his game and start racing at regional ITU cup level. I was utterly inspired by his journey of belief, perseverance and single mindedness and was very happy to start working with him. His simple and humble approach to life has reminded me to get back to basics, especially when challenged with ‘keeping it all together’ in busy Singapore.
When I think of Lucky chasing his dreams it inspires me to stay hungry and do the same. Thank you for your friendship Lucky!
Won his 1st race on this bike:
New tools from MetaSport Members : )
Working hard at home:
1st ITU Race – Singapore Triathlon 2014
Here is an article the SwimBikeRun did on him a few months ago. Click to enlarge.
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