There are great personalities and individuals who go down the annals of history as legends for their achievements. These persons are remembered and talked about over the generations and through the ages. The Trinity College 1st XV captain Kaneel Seneviratna entered the hall of fame last week as he took possession of the title being the first Double Lion for the 21st Century.
The prestigious Trinity Lion award is awarded to distinguished individuals who excel in the sporting arena at the highest peak and is the highest that any schoolboy could achieve for his efforts and commitment in sport. Each year the Lion award is awarded to personnel who go beyond excellence in their subjects. The journey towards achieving this prestigious award is one daunting task and only the greatest of them achieve this rare feat.
Among this rare breed of individuals, there are those who go on even higher to receive the honorary titles of being Double or Triple Lionsmen. There are only a handful of Double and Triple Lionsmen which showcases the difficulty in achieving such a feat. In Trinity’s history book, there records only two Triple Lionsmen with the latest being in 1987 which was Thushara Weerasooriya.
The year 2012 will be recorded in gold as it marks another specific milestone in the books of history. With Trinity’s 1st XV skipper is being awarded the coveted Lion award and together with the Lion award for weight-lifting which was awarded the previous year makes him the “first ever Double Lionsman for the 21st century”. With this Seneviratna gets hold of the title of being the latest Double Lion which has been held by his predecessor for over two decades.
Achievements cannot be won without any effort or any commitment. Likewise this stalwart’s journey is also is worthwhile of praise. Kaneel Seneviratna who started his rugby career at the age of 11 wouldn’t have ever imagined the fact that he would become one of Sri Lanka’s dynamic and talented three-quarters in the school rugby arena. This talented young man wore the college colors for the first time in 2010 as he played the full season as a center. Seneviratna’s dynamics came into prevalence in the 2011 where the true essence of his talent came into light where he excelled in his art of playing finally earning him colors for the sport of Rugby Football.
In 2012 getting the reigns of captaincy, the Trinity side ended up being runners-up taking home the Bradby Shield for the second consecutive year. Though they missed out the opportunity of being the league champions, Seneviratna’s team was sighted by many critiques as another “dream team”. Thus he succeeded in transforming the Trinity College team to a champion outfit before he hung up his boots.
Acquiring a Lion being an indurate task alone, he went on to acquire himself the Lion award for weight-lifting as well. Not limited to rugby alone, Kaneel’s talent in weight-lifting is just as commendable as of his in rugby. In the year 2010 he kept the Junior Nationals record for Snatch and Clean & Jerk in the Under 17 category. He was adjudged the Junior nationals champion in consecutive years of 2010 and 2011.
Above all his achievement in Under 20 nationals is indeed commendable as he is the current holder of the national record in the 77 kg Clean and Jerk category. With the 2012 junior nationals yet to begin on the 28th of this month, many more achievements will be in line for this young lad.
The manner in which this young lad was able to balance his career together with his academics is worth of praise. If there is another explanation for an all-rounder, it should be Kaneel. The feat of double lion is rare feat which is achievable only by a handful. Kaneel Seneviratna would go down in history as the first Double Lionsman in the modern era and he would be remembered and praised by the generations to come.
-Photo Credit Amila Alahakoon
