Centre Yugantha proud product of Ananda Daily News (via HT Media Ltd.)
Ananda College, Colombo is the leading Buddhist school in the country which has contributed immensely towards the success of Education while unearthing sportsmen excelling in various sporting disciplines, where some of them reached the pinnacle by representing the country at International tournaments. Yugantha Karunarathne who had an illustrious rugby career was one of the finest products of Ananda who brought honour and fame to his school and country wearing the National jersey.
Yugantha, better known as ‘Yuga’ in rugby circles, was born in 1975 in Colombo. His father was late Lt. H.K. Karunaratne who served in the Sri Lanka Army and a former Olympic and, Asian Gold Medallist and an Army Boxer. Nimala Athukorala was his mother, a housewife while he also had a brother Rohana.
Nuwan Hettiarachchi was a superb place kicker Daily News (via HT Media Ltd.)
It is unique to find a family imbibed with a sportsman starting from the father. The children of the family followed in the footsteps and reached great heights in sports with some of them ending up wearing the National jersey. Akila Nuwan Hettiarachchi was one of the them whose whole family mingled in sports with the guidance of their father to become a profound sportsman.
Akila Nuwan Hettiarachchi was called ‘Hetti’ in rugby circles and was born in 1988 in Kandy. His father Sunil Hettiarachchi is a businessman and was a former soccer player. Vineetha is his mother and is a house wife. He has five other siblings with Kanchana the elder sister, Sanka and Pathum elder brothers while Kusal and Deneth younger brothers. All the boys represented Dharmaraja College, Kandy and were involved in sports. His two elder brothers Sanka and Pathum donned the college rugby jersey where Sanaka ended u