Manju Dinesh Kumara Wanniarachchi (Sinhala: මංජු දිනේෂ් කුමාර වන්නිආරච්චි) (born 2 December 1979) is a Sri Lankan amateur boxer. He won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the bantamweight category, defeating Sean McGoldrick in the final, but was later stripped of his medal after failing a drug test.[1] He is an old boy of Vidyartha College, Kandy.

Manju Wanniarachchi
Personal information
Full nameManju Dinesh Kumara Wanniarachchi
NationalitySri Lankan
Born (1979-12-02) 2 December 1979 (age 44)
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Height5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Sport
ClubSlimline Boxing Club

Drugs edit

On 24 October 2010 National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka announced that Wanniarachchi had passed a drug test taken during the Commonwealth Games.[2] A urine sample provided by the boxer had contained viagra, a banned performance-enhancing drug.[3] Wanniarachchi claims he passed the drug test due to the headache medication he was taking.[4] Wanniarachchi subsequently failed the second doping test for a banned steroid. The Amateur Boxing Association of Sri Lanka said the "B" sample of 30-year-old Wanniarachchi's urine tested positive for nandrolone, a performance-enhancing substance. Wanniarachchi announced his intention to launch an appeal.[5]

Wanniarachchi was suspended from all boxing meets by the National Anti Doping Organization of Sri Lanka in March 2011.[6] The Commonwealth Games Federation stripped Wanniarachchi of his gold medal on 8 May 2011 after a meeting of Federation Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[7] On 23 May 2011, Wanniarachchi announced he was retiring from boxing.[8] After the lapse of the appeal period, McGoldrick was awarded the gold medal on 6 June 2011.[9]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Manju Wanniarachchi wins gold in boxing event at the Commonwealth Games 2010". Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  2. ^ "anju in danger of losing gold". BBC Sinhala. 24 October 2010.
  3. ^ "Manju charged for taking banned drugs". Sunday Island, Sri Lanka. 24 October 2010.
  4. ^ "Manju given 14 days". Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 24 October 2010.
  5. ^ AFP (15 November 2010). "Sri Lanka boxer fails second doping test". Lanka Business Online. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Manju Wanniarachchi suspended from all boxing meets". Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 17 March 2011. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  7. ^ "Sri Lanka boxer stripped of gold medal". Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 10 May 2011. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  8. ^ "Manju Wanniarachchi hangs his gloves". Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 24 May 2011. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  9. ^ "Gold for Welsh boxer". Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 6 June 2011.