Gold for Pashanth Sellathurai

Australian Tamil ‘Prashanth Sellathurai’ is a gymnast on Australia’s men’s team which recently won its first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Sources said, “The world No.3 pommel horse specialist closed out the triumph with a fine score of 14.9 while the English (256.75) struggled on the pommel horse”. Prashanth’s performance on the rings sealed Australia’s victory.

Born on the 1st October 1986, Prasanth’s parents left Sri Lanka in 1983 during the height of the racial riots which left thousands of Tamil civilians dead, and was the starting blocks for Asia’s longest running civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan government.

This win was also extra special for team mates Joshua Jefferis, Samuel Offord, Luke Wiwatowski and Thomas Pichler as Australia are only the third nation to win in this event after England claimed it twice and Canada four times.

The gymnasts in each team compete in the horizontal bars, floor, pommel, rings, vault and parallel bars, after which their team scores are totalled and the placing is then decided.  England claimed the Silver medal, whilst Canada came third, winning Bronze.

From everyone here at Thamarai, we wish Prashanth all the best for the future.