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A trio of women boxers are making history in the mercantile sector as a new breed of fighters emerge (Reproduced from the Daily Mirror of January 23, 2002) By Asanka Gammanpila
The
team was formed last August along with six other male boxers who are all
employed at the Slimline Garment Industries at Pannala. The female boxers, are Geethani Samaraweera, Nilmini Kumari and Vasantha Nilmini who are coached by Harsha Kumara a national boxer who has made his mark at the Clifford Cup and Layton Cup tournaments. The women boxers of Slimline had their first taste of the ring when they were pitted against fighters from the Army women's team. But as would have been expected the new hopefuls lost the bouts but not before gaining some valuable experience for the future. Coach Harsha attributed the defeats to the lack of training since little time was available to the boxers. "Although
they did not fair too well, they have not given up hope and are putting in
those punches at training in a more organised training schedule",
said coach Harsha. Geethani is a former track and field athlete who represented Pushpadana College in Kandy. Her work at Slimline Garments covers the administration of transport for a large work force. She is also an undergraduate in business administration and a member of the Slimline rugby team. Her teammate, the 28-year old Vasantha Nilmini was a versatile sportswoman while schooling at the Thambuttegama Central College in the Anuradhapura district. She joined Slimeline Garments as a security officer and her flair for hard work and drive gave her a promotion to the cutting department. She is also an avid rugby fan and plays the game as well. The other boxer Nilmini Kumari is the youngest member of the trio at 21 years of age. Her skills as a Black Belt karate combined with her rugby prowess makes her no ordinary fighter in the ring. According to her coach, Kumari has a spirit, which makes her a boxer of the future. She is a past student of Sadalanka National School Horawadunne, Pannala, where she learnt the basics of karate. As many as 3000 employees work at Simline Garments where sport is given top billing. The Management has provided facilities for women's rugby, cricket and athletics. The facilities are also open to all other employees interested in sports. The Company has a fully equipped boxing ring and a state-of-the-art gymnasium within the premises. A yoga instructor and a psychiatrist are also on the payroll. According to coach Harsha the company has provided all assistance to produce national sportsmen and women. Slimline's male boxers created history last year by winning the Clifford Cup tournament, which is considered the blue riband of boxing in the country. The feat made Slimeline Sports Club the first club in the mercantile sector to bag the Clifford Cup, which had been dominated by the Armed Forces clubs for 13 years. In N. B. Walisundara, a medal winning boxer, Slimline found another hero when he bagged the award for the most scientific boxer at the meet. Pix by Ravindra Deeptha
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For
probably the first time in the history of boxing in Sri Lanka, a team of
women fighters have come together to form a mercantile club known as
Slimline Sports Club.
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