- Sri Lankan team captain adds another international medal to an illustrious career, following Commonwealth, World and Asian championship victories
Winnipeg, Canada, September 2026: Sri Lanka’s powerlifting captain Darin has secured a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Winnipeg, Canada, adding to his impressive international record and further strengthening Sri Lanka’s presence in the sport.
Held from 19 to 27 September, the championships brought together more than 1,000 athletes from across the Commonwealth, including England, Scotland, Australia, India and Singapore. Organised under the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), the competition featured some of the strongest and most accomplished lifters in the region.
Darin captained Sri Lanka’s six-member team that travelled to Canada, following visa difficulties that prevented several other qualified national athletes from participating. Competing in one of the championship’s most competitive weight categories, he delivered a podium finish for Sri Lanka.
The bronze adds to a career that has helped raise Sri Lanka’s profile in international powerlifting. Darin Weerasinghe is a seven-time Sri Lanka National Powerlifting Champion and was crowned Commonwealth Champion in 2019 in Canada. In 2024, he became the first Sri Lankan to win the IPF World Masters Powerlifting Championship, securing the overall gold medal in the 120kg Equipped M1 category in South Africa. He also claimed the Asian silver medal in 2025 in Himeji, Japan.
His contribution to the sport extends beyond his individual achievements. As captain of Sri Lanka’s national team, Darin has helped lead the country at major international competitions. At the 2025 Asian and African Powerlifting Championships in Japan, he captained the 12-member Sri Lankan contingent, which returned with 14 gold, eight silver and four bronze medals.
At the 2025 Sri Lanka National Championships, he also won the Under-120kg title, taking gold in all three lifts and setting a national bench press record of 178kg.
Other Sri Lankan medal winners at the Winnipeg championships were Uvindu Jayasinghe, Susitha Suraweera and Rashitha De Silva, contributing to the team’s international showing.
For Darin, the latest podium finish marks another milestone in a career dedicated to representing Sri Lanka and advancing the country’s standing in competitive powerlifting.
