Ernest Fernando

Ernest Fernando was a Sri Lankan wrestler, and the only wrestler to represent Sri Lanka at the Olympics (through 2021). Fernando studied at St. Mary’s College where he played cricket and volleyball, and boxed. None of those sports held his interest until he started to compete in wrestling in 1958. Fernando started to wrestle at a national level in 1960. Three years later, he became the national champion. Fernando competed in the freestyle flyweight at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He was eliminated in the first round of the tournament after a loss to Chimedbazaryn Damdinsharav of Mongolia.

After his retirement in 1965, Fernando became a coach. At the University of Kelaniya he was the wrestling coach for almost two decades.