Initially, Niluka went in with great expectation of making it past the first round, knowing his opponent Chen Long’s abilities. However, Niluka’s lack of experience resulted in favour of of Chen who comprehensively defeated him, dominating from the start.

Knowing his fate, Niluka certainly did want to make a difference by bagging a win in the second game. He certainly did make it past the Polish opponent who battled it out until the end.

“I thought I could’ve done better against Chen Long (in the first match). I’ve had really hard training. Even the World champion has to start at zero. He came up with different strategies to break my momentum from time to time. It has been a great experience and I’m thankful to be here in Brazil,” said Niluka Karunaratne.

The match got off to a surprisingly delayed start, which is rare in Olympic completion, as the previous matches of the scheduled court had taken a longer duration. Karunaratne, Sri Lanka’s undisputed men’s single champion on 14 occasions could not offer much in the first set as London Olympics bronze medallist Chen had an easy 21-7 victory in 19 minutes.

But Karunaratne fought back early in the second set and the scores were tied five-all at one stage.

But Chen, the two-time world champion who is among the top ranked badminton players in the world, used all his experience to cut loose and go past Karunaratne 21-10 in 21 at the end. “It was a tough hurdle and I tried my best against a world class champion.

But I hope to do perform better in the next match,” he told the media after the match.

Karunaratne will now meet Kevin Cordon of Guatemala in his second group ‘P’ match to be worked off on Friday at 7.30 pm local time (4 am SL time on Saturday).

The Lankan national champion’s last group match will be against Adrian Dziolko of Poland, ranked 58th in the world. It will be played on Sunday at 3.55 pm local time (12.25 am SL time on Monday).

Defending men’s singles badminton champion Lin Dan of China needed just 34 minutes to cleat his first hurdle today. He launched his triple Olympic crown campaign in style, crushing David Obernosterer of Austria in straight sets 21-5, 21-11 in their group ‘E’ first round match.

Karunaratne, who competed at the last 2012 Olympic Games, has been drawn in group ‘P’ in the men’s singles first round. Besides Karunaratne, the other shuttlers drawn in Group ‘P’ are Long Chen of China, Kevin Cordon of Guatemala and Adrian Dziolko of Poland.

Fourteen-time Sri Lanka national champion Karunaratne will play his first group match against China’s Long Chen at Riocentro Pavilion Four on Thursday at10.10 am local time (6.40 pm SL time). It will be the toughest of the three group matches for Karnaratne as he comes across the men’s singles bronze medallist of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Lankan lad’s second match in Group ‘P’ will be against Guatemalan Cordon on Friday at 7.30 pm local time (4 am SL time on Saturday).

Karunaratne’s last of the three Group matches will be against Polish Dziolko, scheduled for Sunday at 3.55 pm local time (12.25 am SL time on Monday). Dziolko, ranked 58th in the world, has been a member of the Polish senior badminton team since 2009.

“It is a tough contest but I will try my best to spring a surprise or two,” a determined Karunarane said on the eve of his first game. “I am glad to make it to my second successive Olympics and have been training hard. Irrespective of the ranking of my opponents, I will battle it out until the last minute. I am ready to face the challenge,” Karunaratne said.

Already, three athletes have gained qualifying standards. They will be joined by two swimmers, a shooter and a badminton player. However the exact strength of the Sri Lankan contingent for the XXXIst Summer Olympic Games in Rio will be known after the International Olympic Committee deadline ends on July 4.

Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOC), Maxwell de Silva said, “So far, three athletes have gained qualifying standards. Two swimmers, a shooter and a badminton player too have been included in the contingent. There is a possibility of golfer Mithun Perera also booking a place, subject to his performance at the ongoing tournaments before the IOC deadline.”

Anuradha Indrajith Cooray

Veteran marathon runners Anuradha Indrajith Cooray and Geethani Rajasekera were among the first to book their places after they gained qualifying standards in the men’s and women’s marathon respectively last year. The duo also represented Sri Lanka at last year’s IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

In fact, this will be the third time that London-based Cooray will be representing Sri Lanka at an Olympic Games, having done so at Athens 2004 and London 2012. Susanthika Jayasinghe, the women’s 200m silver medalist at 2000 Games in Sydney, holds the record for most Olympic Games appearances by an Lankan athlete, having made it to the 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 Games although she did not run in one of them due to an injury.

The 38-year-old long distance veteran was the first Lankan to assure a place at the Rio Games when he clocked two hours, 13 minutes and 47 seconds at last year’s London Marathon, thus bettering the men’s marathon Olympic qualifying time of 2:17.00. Geethani bettered her own Sri Lankan mark in the women’s marathon when she clocked two hours, 40 minutes and 7 seconds to finish fifth in the Asian Marathon last year. Her performance enabled the woman soldier to better her own previous Sri Lanka record of 2:47.55 and become the first Sri Lankan woman ever to compete at an Olympic marathon.

Airman Sumedha Ranasinghe, a product of Kegalle MV, is the other athlete who has qualified to compete in Rio. The ace men’s javelin thrower cleared a distance of 83.04m at the final South Asian Games selection trial at the Diyagama Mahinda Rajapaksa Sports Complex, slightly bettering the Olympic qualifying distance of 83.00m. His feat also accounted for a new Sri Lanka record, erasing the previous mark of 79.62m held by Sachith Maduranga since 2013.

US-born Mathew Abeysinghe is the sole men’s simmer in the Lankan contingent. He won a record seven gold medals – two silvers and a bronze to make it a record total of ten medals, at the last South Asian Games held in Guwahati, India early this year. Kimiko Raheem, who won five gold medals at the same Games will join Abeysinghe in taking Lanka’s challenge to the Olympic pool in Rio.

Shuttler Niluka Karunaratne, Sri Lanka’s undisputed king in men’s singles will be making his way to his second successive Olympics, having competed in the London Games four years ago. Also competing in his second successive Olympics will be shooter Mangala Samarakoon, a bronze medallist at this year’s South Asian Games in India. He is expected to compete in the men’s 10m air rifle and 50m rifle prone events.

Although Sri Lanka expected a couple of wild card entries for a judoka and a weightlifter, it is unlikely that they would get an opportunity.

Nearly 10,500 sportsmen and women from 207 countries are expected to compete at the XXXIst summer Olympiad to be worked off in the Brazilian capital from August 5 to 21. Already, 8,255 competitors have confirmed their participation while the balance is expected to book their places within the next couple of weeks.

Rio will become the first South American city to host the Summer Olympics. The upcoming edition of the Olympics will be the first Games to be held in a Portuguese-speaking country, the first to be held entirely during the host country’s winter season.

Among the record number of competitors and participating countries at Rio 2016 will be Kosovo and South Sudan which will be competing at an Olympic Games for the first time. A total of 306 sets of medals will be on offer under 28 disciplines, including Sevens rugby and golf, to be worked off at 33 venues in the host city and five other Brazilian cities – Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Manaus and the capital Brasilia.

Sri Lankan contingent for Rio 2016 Olympics:

Athletics: Anuradha Indrajith Cooray (men’s marathon),Geethani Rajasekera (women’s marathon),Sumedha Ranasinghe (men’s javelin throw)

Badminton: Niluka Karunaratne (men’s singles)

Swimming: Mathew Abeysinghe, Kimiko Raheem

Shooting: Mangala Samarakoon (men’s rifle).

Note: Subject additions by the deadline to gain qualifying standards.

The duo also won the men’s open doubles but the biggest upset was when Niluka missed his tripple crown when he and Nadeesha Gayanth lost to Buwaneka Goonathilake and Kavindi Sirimannage in the Mixed Doubles Open.

Thilini Promodika Hendahewa grabbed the Open Women’s Singles title when she defeated Kavindi Sirimannage in the final.

The 63rd Badminton National Tournament was held in nine courts in two indoor stadiums in Anuradhapura including the newly built Mike Cooke stadium.

All players reaching quarter finals and upwards had the opportunity to contribute achievement points to their respective province, school Club or Company as a new initiative this year.

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[Event results]

Open Mens’ Singles

1. Niluka Karunaratne
2. Dinuka Karunaratne

Open Women’s Singles

1. Thilini Promodika Hendahewa
2. Kavindi Sirimannage

Open Women’s Dboules

1. Achini Rathnasiri and Upuli Samanthika
2. Chandrika de Silva and Thilini Hendahewa

Open Mixed Doubles

1. Buwaneka Goonathilake and Kavindi Sirimannage
2. Niluka Karunaratne and Nadeesha Gayanth

Under 19 Boys’s Singles

1. Resinthe Ridma
2. Maduka Dulanjana

Under 19 Boys’ Doubles

1. Nadith Anushka and Resintha Ridma
2. Imundu Liyanage and Pasindu Palliyaguru

Under 19 Girls’ Singles

1. Kavindika de Silva
2. Inura Kuruppu

Under 19 Girls’ Doubles

1. Kavindika de Silva and Nilmithera Hettiarachchi
2. Udana de Alwis and Dakshina Rajaratne

Under 17 Boys Singles

1. Tharin Punchihewa
2. K Amarasena

Under 17 Boys’ Doubles

1. Tharindu Ambegoda and Tharin Punchihewa
2. Kasun Amarasena and Venu Pathirana

Under 17 Girls’ Singles

1. Hashini Ambalangodage
2. Hasara Wijeratne

Under 17 Girls Doubles

1. B Galagamage and Tharushi Rathnayake
2. Hasini Ambalangodage and Hasara Wijegunaratne

Under 15 Boys’ Singles

1. Chamath Dias
2. Janiske Perera

Under 15 Girls’ Singles

1. Ilmi Dias
2. Anurangi Masakorale

Under 15 Boys’ Doubles

1. Banuka Abeyseinghe and Janishka Perera
2. Chamath Dias and Charith Illeperuma

Under 15 Girls’ Doubles

1. Dilmi Dias and Anurangi Masakorala
2. Irushi Perera and Bimalka Gunathilake

Under 13 Boys’ Singles

1. C Hanmitha
2. S Weerasekara

Under 11 Boys’ Singles

1. R Rupathunge
2. S Devasundara

Under 11 Girls’ Singles

1. Dewmi Hithora
2. S Umagiliya