Milka Gehani

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Milka Gehani
Milka Gehani at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics – Vault qualification (Martin Rulsch) 285 (sq cropped).jpg
Milka Gehani at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics
Personal information
Full nameElpitiya Badalge Dona Milka Gehani Divyanjala De Silva
Alternative name(s)Milka De Silva
Nickname(s)Miki
Country represented Sri Lanka
Born (2003-04-24) 24 April 2003 (age 18)
Colombo, Sri Lanka
HometownPiliyandala, Sri Lanka
Training locationTokyo, Japan
Height1.40 m (4 ft 7 in)[1]
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
GymTsukahara Gymnastics Center
Former coach(es)Ranjana Tharanga

Milka Gehani Elpitiya Badalge Dona also known as Milka Gehani de Silva[2] (born 24 April 2003) is a Sri Lankan artistic gymnast who represented her country at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics and the 2019 World Championships.[3] She earned a continental quota spot to the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside India’s Pranati Nayak after the cancellation of the 2021 Asian Championships.[4] She is the first Sri Lankan gymnast across all disciplines to qualify to the Olympics.[5]

Early life[]

Milka Gehani was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2003.[6] She won her first junior national title at the age of 8. In 2019, she received an IOC-funded scholarship to train in Japan.[7]

Career[]

Milka vaulting at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics

Milka competed at the 2016 Junior Commonwealth Championships in Namibia, qualifying to every individual final. She finished tenth in the all-around final with the score of 48.550, and placed sixth on vault, sixth on the uneven bars, fifth on the balance beam and sixth on floor exercise, also contributing to the Sri Lankan team’s fourth place finish.[8]

In May 2017, Milka competed at the Asian Junior Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, placing eighth with the Sri Lankan team and 17th in the all-around. She improved that result at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, finishing 14th all-around. She represented Sri Lanka at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she placed 28th all-around in qualifications but did not make the finals.[3]

Milka turned senior in 2019, and made her World Championship debut at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. She placed 114th in qualifications, missing out on Olympic qualification.

Milka began training in Japan in 2019 after receiving a scholarship from the International Olympic Committee.[7] In September 2020, she competed at the All-Japan Championships in Takasaki, placing 40th.[3]

In May 2021, she was awarded one of the two available Asian continental berths to the 2020 Summer Olympics due to the cancellation of the 2021 Asian Championships, as she was the highest ranked eligible athlete based on the results of the 2019 World Championships.[2] This marked Sri Lanka’s debut in gymnastics at the Olympic Games.[9] She also became the second Sri Lankan athlete to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after Mathilda Karlsson.[10] In July, it was announced that Milka would be Sri Lanka’s flag bearer at the 2020 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations alongside judoka Chamara Dharmawardana, becoming the country’s youngest ever flag bearer.[11] At the Games, Milka placed 78th in the all-around during qualifications, and did not advance to the final.[12] She has received an extension to her scholarship to continue her training in Japan for another two years after the Olympics.[13]

Competitive history[]

Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
2016 Junior Commonwealth Championships 4 10 6 6 5 6
2017 Asian Junior Championships 8 17
2018 Asian Junior Championships 10 14
Youth Olympic Games 28
2019
World Championships 114
2020 All-Japan Championships 40
2021
Olympic Games 78

References[]

  1. ^ "Milka Gehani Tokyo 2020 Athlete Profile". Olympics.com. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Sri Lankan gymnast Milka Gehani qualifies for Tokyo Olympics". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  3. ^ a b c "Milka Gehani". The Gymternet. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  4. ^ "SRI LANKAN GYMNAST MILKA GEHANI EARNS WINGS TO TOKYO OLYMPICS". Sri Lanka Foundation. May 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Sri Lanka (SRI)". Olympedia.org. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Milka Gehani - FIG Athlete Profile". International Gymnastics Federation. September 20, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Gymnast Milka Qualifies for Tokyo Olympics". Ceylon Today. May 6, 2021.
  8. ^ "2016 Junior Commonwealth Championships results". The Gymternet. October 12, 2016.
  9. ^ "Gymnast Milka secures Tokyo Olympics spot". Daily News. May 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "Gymnast Gehani second to qualify for Tokyo Olympics". Sunday Observer. 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  11. ^ "Sri Lankan Flag Bearers at the Olympics: Carrying more than just a flag". The Papare. 12 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics - Women's All-Around Qualification Results" (PDF). Olympics.com. 25 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Milka Gehani's scholarship to train in Japan extended". Daily News. 17 July 2021.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""