Wonder girl Wasana wins Sri Lanka’s first gold

 Nipuni Wasana – Sri Lanka’s first-ever gold medalist in the Asian Beach Games history

By Susil Premalal

Sri Lanka’s rising young wrestler Nipuni Wasana clinched the gold medal in the Women’s 50kg final at the sixth Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China 2026 yesterday.

The Games conclude today with Sri Lanka already securing one gold, two silver and four bronze medals overall.

This marks Sri Lanka’s first-ever gold medal in the history of the Asian Beach Games. 

Nipuni Wasana achieved this milestone with a dominant 2–0 victory over Vietnam’s Doan Thi Kim Oanh in the final.

She remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. In the preliminary rounds, she defeated Kazakhstan’s Ganikyzy Laura (4–0), Cambodia’s Dit Samnang (2–0) and China’s Liang Jinyue (2–0). She then overcame Japan’s Funa Yano (4–0) in the semi-final to qualify for the final.

For this year’s Games, the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) included four wrestlers—two men and two women—in the 77-member Sri Lankan contingent. Among them, Nipuni Wasana was the only athlete to secure a medal.

The 21-year-old athlete began her wrestling career at Welpalla Maha Vidyalaya in Pannala. She has previously represented Sri Lanka in junior and youth wrestling squads on international tours and currently represents the Air Force wrestling team.

Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Nethmi Ahinsa, who competed in the women’s 60kg category, was eliminated after losing to an Indian opponent.

In the men’s events, Madushanka Premarathna (90kg) lost to an Iranian opponent while Lakmal Wijesuriya (80kg) was defeated by competitors from India, Qatar and Bahrain ending his campaign.

Wasana in action against Vietnam’s Doan Thi Kim Oanh in the final