Samitha Dulan Kodithuwakku is a Sri Lankan Paralympian who recently won a silver in javelin throw at the ongoing Paralympics 2024, find out more about him and his disability
Ahead of Samitha, Indian Paralympian Sumit Antil won gold in the event with an impressive throw of 70.59 meters.
Who is Sri Lanka javelin throw para-athlete Samitha Dulan Kodithuwakku, biography, age, disability, medals and world record
Dulan secured the silver medal with a throw of 67.03 meters, ahead of Australia’s Michal Burian, who threw 64.89 meters.
Kodituwakku had claimed a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games with a then personal best of 65.61 meters and had bagged a bronze medal at the World Para Athletics World Championship 2023 in Paris, France.
Attached to the Sri Lanka Army, Warrant Officer II K.A Samitha Dulan of Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police achieved a World Record in the Para Javelin Throw F-44 category (Distance – 66.49m) in the Kobe 2024 Para Athletics World Championship held in Japan and won the Silver Medal in the Para Javelin Throw event (F-44/F-64), while marking a World Record in his category (F-44).
Samitha Dulan Kodithuwakku bio
Samitha Dulan Kodithuwakku is a Sri Lankan Paralympic track and field athlete who was born on July 10, 1990, in Deniyaya, Sri Lanka. He is currently 34 years old, and belongs to a disability class of F64. Dulan made his debut Paralympic appearance at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. Aside from being a para-athlete, Dulan also works as a warrant officer II in the Sri Lanka Army’s Corps of Military Police. Dulan notably set a world record back in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics with a personal best of 65.61 metres.
Career
Samitha Dulan Kodithuwakku started out his athletic career back in 2007 when he was still a school student. Although he initially took up the sport as a hobby, he soon started taking it seriously, even training for 28 hours per week. Despite being born without any disabilities, Dula suffered an impairment in his right leg following a tragic motorbike accident. As a result, he began competing in parasports in 2017.
He eventually made his senior debut back in the 2018 Sri Lanka Asian Para Games, which took place in Indonesia. Dulan then set a new world record with a distance of 66.49 metres during the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in the F44 men’s javelin throw event. He also notably won a bronze medal during the 2023 World Para Athletics Championship in Paris. Most recently, Samitha Dulan Kodithuwakku won a silver medal at the 2024 Para Athletics World Championship, which took place in Kobe, Japan. It was at this vent that he broke his previous world record. He is now a paralympic silver medallist in the men’s javelin throw after winning the same in Paris 2024.