Viharamaha Devi Balika, Kiribathgoda schoolgirl Hiruni Wijesinghe claimed the first silver medal for Sri Lanka at the ASBC Asian Under-22 and Youth Boxing Championships at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium yesterday.

It was a historic first for Sri Lanka in the history of this competition although the hosts have reaped a rich harvest of 18 bronze medals so far after having entered a total of 33 boxers.

A multiple All-Island National School Girls champion and Youth Championships who returned to the sport after a short hiatus, Hiruni achieved the honours of adorning a silver medal albeit after suffering a loss against a tough Kazakhstan rival in the Youth light welter (63kg) weight title clash.

Hiruni showed plenty of heart to put up a brave fight despite receiving a couple of bone shattering body blows from forcing the referee to stop the contest midway in the first round.

She was the only Sri Lankan to feature in the Youth finals while four more title contenders will battle for glory in the Under-22 category, including gold medal hopeful Yazmin Mohammed Usaith. 

The other three are women pugilists Hansani Nayakarathna (63kg), N.M.M.S. Narasingha (75kg) and N.N. Tharushika (81kg).

However, the cynosure of all eyes will be on 20-year-old Kandy pugilist Usaith who has emerged as the new Sri Lanka hero after his spectacular semi-final win over Kyrgyzstan’s Daniel Adbdrakham while gold medal hopeful Umayanga Mihiran suffered a loss against Tajikistan’s Meroj Sufijonov. 

Usaith will face Kazakhstan’s Aman Konsbekov who outclassed Dang Luu Pham (Vietnam) in the last four round.

Sri Lankans are pinning their hopes on the gangly southpaw to strike gold against his shorter rival by displaying superior technical and tactical ringraft than just raw power in the Middle (75kg) weight title clash.

Usaith who eased past Saudi Arabia’s Nayif Al Mowalad is oozing with confidence and declared he will not settle for anything less than gold.

“From the moment I was selected for this tournament, I made up mind that I will win the gold medal. I am not going to fight for the silver medal in the final,” said Usaith soon after his epic semi-final triumph.

Usaith, who beat a Malaysian on his international debut in a Dubai tournament as a 15-year-old, paid tribute to his first coach at Sri Sumangala College, Kandy Athula Weerasuriya who showed him the pathway to boxing and jealously prevented him from taking up any other sport.

“I had a liking to wear gloves worn by wrestlers,” said Usaith who displayed a natural aptitude for boxing. An O/L dropout, he would have been lost to the sport if not the encouragement given by his family especially his father Yazmin. “I wanted to quit boxing and do a job but by two elder brothers told me boxing is your job,” recalled Usaith, the third in a family of four siblings.

The scrawny youngster found his calling for boxing when he came under the wing of St. Sylvester’s Boxing Club Coach Jamitha Gayan Bandara, sweeping all before him after entering elite competitions last years, becoming the youngest to win a national title and also represent Sri Lanka at the Asian Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand last year.

Usaith faces a tryst with destiny today, as he carries the weight of a nation on his young shoulders to become the Golden Boy of Sri Lanka boxing.