Niluka Karunaratne (Sinhala: නිලූක කරුණාරත්න; Tamil: நிலுக கருணாரத்ன) (born 13 February 1985) is a Sri Lankan badminton player who has competed at the Olympics in 2012, 2016 and 2020.[1] His father Louie Karunaratne and brothers Dinuka Karunaratne, Chamika Karunaratne (also a cricketer)[2] and Diluka Karunaratne are also professional badminton players.[3][4] He is currently regarded as the number one premiere badminton player in Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka's most decorated badminton player with a record 21 medals to his name at international events including 9 gold medals.[5] He also holds the unique distinction of winning five gold medals in five different continents.[6] He reached his higher career singles ranking of 34 in June 2013, which is also the personal best ranking by a Sri Lankan badminton player. He has also emerged as national badminton champion for record 17 times, the most by a Sri Lankan badminton player.[7][8] Despite his achievements in the sport, he was also sidelined for disciplinary issues on few occasions.[9]
Karunaratne, born in the coastal area of Galle, received his primary and secondary education in Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda and Royal College, Colombo, where he won the Royal Crown in 2001. He took up badminton at the age of 8, having been introduced to the sport by his father, who was a national level badminton player.[10] He became the youngest ever Sri Lankan national badminton champion at the age of 16 in 2001 after winning his maiden national title on debut appearance at the Sri Lankan Badminton Nationals.[5]
Karunaratne competed in five consecutives Commonwealth Games from 2002 to 2018.[11][12] At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he was knocked out of the men's singles in the round of 16 by Srikanth Kidambi.[13] He was also part of the Sri Lankan mixed badminton team, which was knocked out at the quarterfinal stage by England.[14]
Karunaratne at the 2018 Dutch Open
He won his first international badminton championship in 2011 after emerging victorious in the men's singles event at the Puerto Rico International.[15] He also set a record for winning most consecutive number of men's singles title at the Sri Lankan Badminton Nationals during 9 occasions from 2000 to 2009.[5]
As of July 2012, he was ranked 48th in the men's singles from the BWF World Ranking.[16] In 2012, the Sri Lankan Daily News called him "Sri Lanka’s undisputed badminton champion".[17][18]
He made his second Summer Olympics appearance at the 2016 Summer Olympics representing Sri Lanka amid various difficulties as he was not eligible to compete in local anf international badminton events due to the temporary ban on Sri Lankan Badminton Federation imposed by the Badminton World Federation in 2015.[24]
In January 2021, he was tested positive for COVID-19 along with his younger brother Chamika and Niluka was disbanded from the National Badminton Association.[25] However, he pledged to participate in badminton competitions after recovering from COVID-19 and in February 2021, he along with his younger brother and national cricketer Chamika Karunaratne played in the first round encounters in the men's singles of the Sri Lankan Badminton Nationals 2020.[26][27] He announced his retirement from competing in local events after claiming the national badminton title for the record seventeenth time in 2021.[28] However, he continued to compete in foreign competition with the aim of qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[29] In May 2021, Niluka reached the semifinals of the 56th edition of the Portuguese International Badminton Championships but was eliminated from the semis after losing to Germany's Max Weisskirchen.[30]
He also qualified to represent Sri Lanka at the 2020 Summer Olympics after receiving tripartite commission quota from Badminton World Federation and it would also mark his third appearance at the Olympics and also went onto become the sixth Sri Lankan competitor to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.[31][32] He will also become the first Sri Lankan badminton player to compete at three successive Olympics.[33][34] He announced that he would officially retire from international badminton after competing at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July 2021.[6] He was accompanied by his brother Dinuka Karunaratne as his partner in lead up to the 2020 Olympics.[35]
He also holds a position in the banking sector as a bank employee.[36][37][4]
Controversies
During the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics, Niluka was controversially appointed as the captain of the seven member Sri Lankan contingent by the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka during the multi-sport event despite having experienced Anuradha Cooray in the mix who already competed previously at an Olympic event in 2004. Anuradha claimed that he should have been appointed as the captain of Sri Lankan Olympic team instead of Niluka whom he termed as novice and Anuradha insisted that Niluka hasn't done anything exceptional prior to competing at the Olympics. However, Niluka disagreed regarding the comments made by Anuradha Cooray.[38]
In 2014, Sri Lanka Badminton Association took disciplinary action against Niluka for acting in an undisciplined manner during the selection trials prior to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[39]
In 2018, after losing the quarterfinal match against in the Badminton Nationals Buwanika Gunathilaka he had a brawl with a spectator who was seen cheering for Buwanika Gunathilaka during the match.[40]
^"Niluka KARUNARATNE - Olympic Badminton | Sri Lanka". International Olympic Committee. 20 November 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
^Acharya, Shayan. "A busy sporting season for the Karunaratnes from Sri Lanka". Sportstar. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
^Rajendran, Angu (1 February 2011). "Dinuka - Sri Lanka's champion shuttler". dailynews.lk. Daily News. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^ ab. The Times of India. 2 February 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
^ abc"Making of an extraordinary shuttle talent". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^ ab"Karunaratne determined to raise the bar high for badminton in Sri Lanka". Daily News. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^Caffoor, Inshaf (31 October 2016). "Niluka Karunaratne undisputed National Champion for 16th consecutive year". ThePapare.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^"Niluka defends his national title | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka". Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^"The shuttlecock's stuck in the racket | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka". Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^Agencies, Staff with. "Lanka sad as India's Kashyap downs Niluka - Sports - Other - Emirates24|7". emirates247.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^"Karunaratne gears up for tough challenge". Daily News. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^"Niluka Karunaratne tests positive for Covid-19". CeylonToday. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^Nadeera, Dilshan. "Cricketer Chamika returns to badminton as National Championship commences". Retrieved 28 May 2021.
^Nadeera, Dilshan. "Badminton Federation expects Niluka to be fit for postponed Nationals". Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^Nadeera, Dilshan. "Niluka defends title before announcing retirement". Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^"Karunaratne throws in the towel but eyes Olympics". Sunday Observer. 27 February 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^Ratnaweera, Dhammika. "Niluka beaten in Portuguese Open semi-finals". Daily News. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^"Niluka Karunaratne becomes 6th Sri Lankan to qualify for Tokyo Olympics". adaderana.lk. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^"Shuttler Niluka Karunaratne fourth Sri Lankan to qualify for Tokyo Olympics | Daily FT". ft.lk. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^Ratnaweera, Dhammika. "Niluka battles COVID anxiety to reach Olympics for third time". Daily News. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^Bala (18 July 2021). "Sri Lanka all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne's brother Niluka Karunaratne set to participate in Tokyo Olympics 2020". sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
^"Badminton wildcard Niluka targets 'something special' in Tokyo". Sunday Observer. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
niluka, karunaratne, lankan, cricketer, cricketer, sinhala, කර, රත, tamil, கர, ரத, born, february, 1985, lankan, badminton, player, competed, olympics, 2012, 2016, 2020, father, louie, karunaratne, brothers, dinuka, karunaratne, chamika, karunaratne, also, cri. For the Sri Lankan cricketer see Niluka Karunaratne cricketer Niluka Karunaratne Sinhala න ල ක කර ණ රත න Tamil ந ல க கர ண ரத ன born 13 February 1985 is a Sri Lankan badminton player who has competed at the Olympics in 2012 2016 and 2020 1 His father Louie Karunaratne and brothers Dinuka Karunaratne Chamika Karunaratne also a cricketer 2 and Diluka Karunaratne are also professional badminton players 3 4 He is currently regarded as the number one premiere badminton player in Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka s most decorated badminton player with a record 21 medals to his name at international events including 9 gold medals 5 He also holds the unique distinction of winning five gold medals in five different continents 6 He reached his higher career singles ranking of 34 in June 2013 which is also the personal best ranking by a Sri Lankan badminton player He has also emerged as national badminton champion for record 17 times the most by a Sri Lankan badminton player 7 8 Despite his achievements in the sport he was also sidelined for disciplinary issues on few occasions 9 Niluka KarunaratneKarunaratne at the 2012 Summer OlympicsPersonal informationCountrySri LankaBorn 1985 02 13 13 February 1985 age 38 Galle Sri LankaHeight1 72 m 5 ft 8 in Weight65 kg 143 lb HandednessRightCoachLouie KarunaratneMen s singlesHighest ranking34 27 June 2013 Current ranking164 22 November 2022 Medal record Men s badmintonRepresenting Sri LankaSouth Asian Games2006 Colombo Men s team2010 Dhaka Men s team2004 Islamabad Men s team2010 Dhaka Mixed doublesBWF profile Contents 1 Career 2 Controversies 3 Achievements 3 1 South Asian Games 3 2 BWF International Challenge Series 10 titles 5 runners up 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksCareer EditKarunaratne born in the coastal area of Galle received his primary and secondary education in Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda and Royal College Colombo where he won the Royal Crown in 2001 He took up badminton at the age of 8 having been introduced to the sport by his father who was a national level badminton player 10 He became the youngest ever Sri Lankan national badminton champion at the age of 16 in 2001 after winning his maiden national title on debut appearance at the Sri Lankan Badminton Nationals 5 Karunaratne competed in five consecutives Commonwealth Games from 2002 to 2018 11 12 At the 2014 Commonwealth Games he was knocked out of the men s singles in the round of 16 by Srikanth Kidambi 13 He was also part of the Sri Lankan mixed badminton team which was knocked out at the quarterfinal stage by England 14 Karunaratne at the 2018 Dutch Open He won his first international badminton championship in 2011 after emerging victorious in the men s singles event at the Puerto Rico International 15 He also set a record for winning most consecutive number of men s singles title at the Sri Lankan Badminton Nationals during 9 occasions from 2000 to 2009 5 As of July 2012 he was ranked 48th in the men s singles from the BWF World Ranking 16 In 2012 the Sri Lankan Daily News called him Sri Lanka s undisputed badminton champion 17 18 He was selected to captain the Sri Lankan contingent to the 2012 Summer Olympics in his debut Olympic appearance and was also the flagbearer for Sri Lanka during the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics 19 20 On 30 July 2012 Karunaratne defeated world eighth ranked Kenichi Tago of Japan 2 0 Karunaratne defeated Tago 21 18 21 16 in 44 minutes at the Wembley Arena in the Olympic men s badminton singles Group C at the 2012 Summer Olympics 21 The Associated Press quoted him as saying This is the biggest win in the history of Sri Lanka badminton 22 India s Parupalli Kashyap sent him out of the Games in a closely fought pre quarter match 23 Karunaratne signing autographs for fans Karunaratne at the London 2012 OlympicsHe made his second Summer Olympics appearance at the 2016 Summer Olympics representing Sri Lanka amid various difficulties as he was not eligible to compete in local anf international badminton events due to the temporary ban on Sri Lankan Badminton Federation imposed by the Badminton World Federation in 2015 24 In January 2021 he was tested positive for COVID 19 along with his younger brother Chamika and Niluka was disbanded from the National Badminton Association 25 However he pledged to participate in badminton competitions after recovering from COVID 19 and in February 2021 he along with his younger brother and national cricketer Chamika Karunaratne played in the first round encounters in the men s singles of the Sri Lankan Badminton Nationals 2020 26 27 He announced his retirement from competing in local events after claiming the national badminton title for the record seventeenth time in 2021 28 However he continued to compete in foreign competition with the aim of qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo 29 In May 2021 Niluka reached the semifinals of the 56th edition of the Portuguese International Badminton Championships but was eliminated from the semis after losing to Germany s Max Weisskirchen 30 He also qualified to represent Sri Lanka at the 2020 Summer Olympics after receiving tripartite commission quota from Badminton World Federation and it would also mark his third appearance at the Olympics and also went onto become the sixth Sri Lankan competitor to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics 31 32 He will also become the first Sri Lankan badminton player to compete at three successive Olympics 33 34 He announced that he would officially retire from international badminton after competing at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July 2021 6 He was accompanied by his brother Dinuka Karunaratne as his partner in lead up to the 2020 Olympics 35 He also holds a position in the banking sector as a bank employee 36 37 4 Controversies EditDuring the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics Niluka was controversially appointed as the captain of the seven member Sri Lankan contingent by the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka during the multi sport event despite having experienced Anuradha Cooray in the mix who already competed previously at an Olympic event in 2004 Anuradha claimed that he should have been appointed as the captain of Sri Lankan Olympic team instead of Niluka whom he termed as novice and Anuradha insisted that Niluka hasn t done anything exceptional prior to competing at the Olympics However Niluka disagreed regarding the comments made by Anuradha Cooray 38 In 2014 Sri Lanka Badminton Association took disciplinary action against Niluka for acting in an undisciplined manner during the selection trials prior to the 2014 Commonwealth Games 39 In 2018 after losing the quarterfinal match against in the Badminton Nationals Buwanika Gunathilaka he had a brawl with a spectator who was seen cheering for Buwanika Gunathilaka during the match 40 Achievements EditSouth Asian Games Edit Mixed doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result2010 Wooden Floor Gymnasium Dhaka Bangladesh Renu Hettiarachchige Sanave Thomas Aparna Balan 14 21 13 21 BronzeBWF International Challenge Series 10 titles 5 runners up Edit Men s singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result2011 Puerto Rico International Michael Lahnsteiner 21 18 21 15 Winner2011 Miami International Rodrigo Pacheco 21 12 21 14 Winner2011 Welsh International Lok Chong Chieh 21 16 18 21 21 19 Winner2012 Uganda International Wisnu Haryo Putro 21 11 21 18 Winner2012 Iran Fajr International Sameer Verma 21 18 21 15 Winner2012 Brazil International Kevin Cordon 21 17 20 22 19 21 Runner up2012 Bahrain International B Sai Praneeth 21 14 14 21 17 21 Runner up2014 Dutch International Rasmus Fladberg Walkover Runner up2016 Uganda International Pedro Martins 21 17 21 15 Winner2016 Portugal International Gabriel Ulldahl 21 17 21 13 Winner2017 Brazil International Ygor Coelho 9 21 21 14 21 18 Winner2019 Benin International Ade Resky Dwicahyo 23 21 21 17 Winner2020 Uganda International Gergely Krausz 18 21 21 18 13 21 Runner upMen s doubles Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result2010 Maldives International Dinuka Karunaratna Sulehri Kashif Ali Rizwan Azam 21 18 18 21 15 21 Runner up2016 Uganda International Dinuka Karunaratna Ali Ahmed El Khateeb Abdelrahman Kashkal 21 17 21 17 Winner BWF International Challenge tournament BWF International Series tournamentSee also Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Niluka Karunaratne Niroshan Wijekoon List of Sri Lankans by sportOlympic GamesPreceded bySusanthika Jayasinghe Flagbearer for Sri LankaLondon 2012 Succeeded byAnuradha CoorayReferences Edit Niluka KARUNARATNE Olympic Badminton Sri Lanka International Olympic Committee 20 November 2016 Retrieved 24 September 2017 Acharya Shayan A busy sporting season for the Karunaratnes from Sri Lanka Sportstar Retrieved 21 July 2021 Rajendran Angu 1 February 2011 Dinuka Sri Lanka s champion shuttler dailynews lk Daily News Retrieved 14 June 2021 a b Karunaratne brothers giving Lanka a new high in badminton The Times of India 2 February 2010 Archived from the original on 5 November 2013 a b c Making of an extraordinary shuttle talent Print Edition The Sunday Times Sri Lanka Retrieved 14 June 2021 a b Karunaratne determined to raise the bar high for badminton in Sri Lanka Daily News Retrieved 14 June 2021 Caffoor Inshaf 31 October 2016 Niluka Karunaratne undisputed National Champion for 16th consecutive year ThePapare com Retrieved 14 June 2021 Niluka defends his national title The Sunday Times Sri Lanka Retrieved 14 June 2021 The shuttlecock s stuck in the racket The Sunday Times Sri Lanka Retrieved 14 June 2021 Glasgow 2014 Niluka Karunaratne Profile g2014results thecgf com Retrieved 30 September 2015 Niluka Karunaratne Commonwealth Games Federation thecgf com Retrieved 14 June 2021 Participants Niluka Karunaratne gc2018 com Gold Coast 2018 Retrieved 13 April 2018 Glasgow 2014 Men s Singles Round of 16 g2014results thecgf com Retrieved 30 September 2015 Glasgow 2014 Mixed Teams Quarter final g2014results thecgf com Retrieved 30 September 2015 BWF Puerto Rico Internacional 2011 Winners bwf tournamentsoftware com Retrieved 14 June 2021 Ranking of Niluka KARUNARATNE Badminton World Federation Archived from the original on 5 February 2013 I want to be among the best 10 in the world Daily News Sri Lanka 2012 Archived from the original on 26 July 2012 interview Nazir Muhammad Ahmad 7 July 2012 Niluka Karunaratne stretches his winning run at OCBC US Open Grand Prix Gold newspakistan pk Weerawansa Dhaneshi 15 July 2012 Seven Sri Lankans at London 2012 Olympic Games Sunday Observer Sri Lanka Archived from the original on 26 September 2016 Retrieved 28 July 2012 Niluka Karunaratne london2011 com Archived from the original on 31 July 2012 Associated Press Lankan causes upset in Olympic badminton Sports Other Emirates24 7 emirates247 com Retrieved 14 June 2021 Niumata Foster 30 July 2012 Sri Lankan KOs Tago in badminton upset Associated Press via Yahoo News Agencies Staff with Lanka sad as India s Kashyap downs Niluka Sports Other Emirates24 7 emirates247 com Retrieved 14 June 2021 Karunaratne gears up for tough challenge Daily News Retrieved 14 June 2021 Niluka Karunaratne tests positive for Covid 19 CeylonToday Retrieved 14 June 2021 Nadeera Dilshan Cricketer Chamika returns to badminton as National Championship commences Retrieved 28 May 2021 Nadeera Dilshan Badminton Federation expects Niluka to be fit for postponed Nationals Retrieved 14 June 2021 Nadeera Dilshan Niluka defends title before announcing retirement Retrieved 14 June 2021 Karunaratne throws in the towel but eyes Olympics Sunday Observer 27 February 2021 Retrieved 14 June 2021 Ratnaweera Dhammika Niluka beaten in Portuguese Open semi finals Daily News Retrieved 14 June 2021 Niluka Karunaratne becomes 6th Sri Lankan to qualify for Tokyo Olympics adaderana lk Retrieved 14 June 2021 Shuttler Niluka Karunaratne fourth Sri Lankan to qualify for Tokyo Olympics Daily FT ft lk Retrieved 14 June 2021 Ratnaweera Dhammika Niluka battles COVID anxiety to reach Olympics for third time Daily News Retrieved 14 June 2021 Bala 18 July 2021 Sri Lanka all rounder Chamika Karunaratne s brother Niluka Karunaratne set to participate in Tokyo Olympics 2020 sportskeeda com Retrieved 21 July 2021 Badminton wildcard Niluka targets something special in Tokyo Sunday Observer 10 July 2021 Retrieved 21 July 2021 Olympic dreams The Sunday Times Sri Lanka Royal felicitates Olympic Shuttler Niluka Daily News Sri Lanka Archived from the original on 31 May 2012 Sri Lanka Olympic captaincy row BBC News 16 July 2012 Retrieved 14 June 2021 SLBA says a disciplinary inquiry will be held against badminton champion newsfirst lk 13 May 2014 Retrieved 14 June 2021 Fighting spirit on display in badminton Sunday Observer 10 November 2018 Retrieved 14 June 2021 External links EditNiluka Karunaratne at BWF tournamentsoftware com Niluka Karunaratne at BWFbadminton com Niluka Karunaratne at Olympedia Niluka Karunaratne at the Commonwealth Games Federation archived Niluka Karunaratne at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Niluka Karunaratne at BWF tournamentsoftware com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Niluka Karunaratne amp oldid 1145386426, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
