Captain Ravi Jayewardene was the Sri Lanka Team Leader for the 1964 Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan where he participated in rifle shooting events.
He was also the Captain of the Sri Lankan Team for the Commonwealth Games in 1966 and also the Team Leader of the Sri Lankan contingent for the Asian Games.
This would be recorded in sports history as a unique occasion where an athlete has had the distinction of being Team Captain of the Sri Lankan contingent for three different international sports events.
Captain Jayewardene developed his talents after joining the Sri Lanka Army. His contemporaries who displayed their talents in marksmanship – H. R. Perera, Daya Nadarajasingham and others also had the opportunity of participating in Olympic Games.
Ravi who left the Army, obtained membership of the Negombo Rifle Club and became the National champion in shooting in 1967, having participated in several National marksmanship Championship Meets.
In 1966, at the Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand he shattered South Korean Chu Yon’s record thrice repeatedly at the 60-metre firing (prone) event by obtaining 586 points.
He also won two Gold Medals at this International Sports Festival in the 50-metre firing event.
Captain Jayewardene who became the first Sri Lankan to be recorded in the annals of sports for his records in Asian Games obtained 572 points at the Tokyo Olympics in the 50-metre (prone) firing event.
The winner of this event was I. Hamari of Hungary who obtained 597 points. Ravi who is the only child of Sri Lanka’s First Executive President J. R. Jayewardene, was appointed a Member of the Joint Operations Command in 1985 and also served as the President’s Chief Security Advisor.
Ravi was Sri Lanka’s first rifle shooting competitor for the Olympics in 1964 and he later married Jennie, daughter of Duncan White, Sri Lanka’s first Olympic Silver Medallist. (C.D)
