Today’s The Daily Morning Sports interview page is dedicated to a man who lived almost a century, dedicating himself to sports until the last gasp, as they say – to what he loved. An inimitable icon who will always be remembered for his humbleness, great conversations, as well as inspiring stories from the heydays.
Sumanthiran Navaratnam was born on 21 May 1925 in the little hamlet of Araly in Vaddukoddai, Jaffna, in (then) British Ceylon, to S.S. Navaratnam of the Civil Service of Ceylon (father) and K.T. Navaratnam (mother). The couple’s fifth child, who went on to be fondly called ''Summa’’, had his entire schooling at Royal College, Colombo.
Once the fastest man in Asia, Navaratnam passed away peacefully at his residence on the morning of Thursday, 19 October. The legendary sporting icon leaves behind many gifted services to the island nation. He was considered the oldest living Sri Lankan athlete until his death. The legend celebrated his 98th birthday in May this year, flanked by his family, friends, and students at the Ceylonese Rugby and Football Club (CR&FC) premises. It was his one true club all his life.
At Royal College, Navaratnam went on to represent the school in athletics, rugby, and boxing. He came into the limelight when he became the youngest Royalist to be awarded athletics colours, at the tender age of 15 in 1940.
Here are some of our protagonist’s achievements – with excerpts derived from the note which was read before the crowd at the Royal College Sports Complex when its grandstand was named after “Sir Summa”, prior to the second leg of the Bradby Shield 2023:
At the Reid Avenue school, he captained the athletics team in 1942 and 1943, and won the nationals in the 100m, the 200m, and the 4 x100m relay at public schools meets, winning the Tarbet and Jefferson Trophies. He won the nationals in the same events in 1944.
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, he was the cynosure of all eyes, scoring brilliant tries, playing on
the wing for Royal, CR&FC, and Ceylon, while also breaking many national and international records in athletics for Royal, Ace Athletics Club, and Ceylon.
Flying colours
In 1953, Navaratnam was dubbed “Asia's fastest human” and “The fastest man in Asia” when he broke the 100m record at the Indian States Olympic Meet in Madras – the forerunner to the SAARC Games – running neck-to-neck with Lavy Pinto, the best of the Indian sprinters. His astonishing time of 10.4 seconds surpassed both Indian and Asian records, and compared well with the 1948 London Olympic record of 10.3 secs – set by American sprinter Harrison Dillard, and the Helsinki Olympics in 1952 – where Lindy Remigino of the United States (US) recorded 10.4 secs to win the gold, while in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, the winner Robert Morrow – also of the US – posted a time of 10.5 seconds. Navaratnam’s 10.4 seconds was the fastest time ever recorded on a grass track anywhere.
All these performances were on cinder tracks, which helped athletes improve on their timings and compete better with sprinters from other foreign countries. In those “old days” in Sri Lanka, our local athletes ran on grass tracks only – not on any special tracks. One could well imagine the results and enhanced timings of Navaratnam if he had these facilities in Sri Lanka back then. However, it would surely have been another Olympic medal for Ceylon through Navratnam, if it was not for nepotism on the part of the then selectors who stood in the way of this superb athlete. He missed inclusion in the Ceylon team for the 1948 London Olympic Games (which he confirms again was due to “nepotism”), although he was chosen for the trials to form a national squad. Finally, Navaratnam was selected for Ceylon in 1950 to compete in the Commonwealth and Empire Games in Auckland, New Zealand – running with Duncan White, Oscar Wijesinghe, and John de Saram – in the 100m relay.
Navaratnam had a unique experience in 1953, a rare feature for anyone to be representing the country in two international sports events on the same day, when he participated in the 100m international event of the Ceylon AAA Nationals, in which the Asian record holder – Lavy Pinto of India – and a host of other local athletes took part. Later in the evening, he represented Ceylon in a rugby international game against the Australian Colts at CH&FC Grounds. Read more about this heroic feat in the article by Ken de Joodt in the Quadrangle Magazine.
A legendary record
Navaratnam’s first major sporting achievement was as a boxer, representing Royal College at the Stubbs Shield boxing meet of 1939 – where he reached the finals in bantamweight – for which he was awarded College boxing colours at the age of 14.
As a coach, Navaratnam has produced many athletes who have made the country proud.
His first XV rugby debut came in 1941 under Minoo Jilla, when Royal beat Trinity for the
first time 11-3. He played in 1942 and 1943 in the teams which beat Trinity in both legs for the first time, 6-3 and 5-3. It was in 1943 that the maiden two-legged game was played, prior to the beginning of the Bradby Shield in 1945. He captained the team in the second leg and scored the winning try, intercepting a Trinity pass to score under the post.
Navaratnam left Royal in 1944 to join the Royal Air Force. He was selected to play for Ceylon against the touring British Lions in 1950, when he scored the only try for Ceylon. Even though Ceylon lost 44-6, the British manager paid him a compliment by saying that he could be given a place in the British Lion team. A great honour indeed.
He captained CR&FC in 1944 and 1945, leading his team to win the Clifford Cup league title. He joins the rare breed of legends, including Mahesa Rodrigo and Ashy Carder, to have captained Royal, CR&FC, and Ceylon.
Navaratnam coached Royal in 1953, 1954, 1967, and from 1972 to 1983 – when Royal won the
Bradby six times and its maiden three-in-a-row from 1978 to 1980. In 1976, Royal – under skipper Manik Weerakumar – beat Trinity 36-0 and 25-6 during Navaratnam’s reign as coach, which was the highest total and aggregate, which was subsequently broken by Royal in 1998 and the historic 2002 outfit.
Navaratnam coached the Sri Lanka XV and seven-a-side teams, and was the President of the Ceylon/Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union from 1972 to 1974. He has produced many rugby players for Royal – who have excelled playing top division club rugby, and for Sri Lanka. He was also elected as President of his good old club, CR&FC.
He started the Summa Navaratnam Junior Rugby Academy in the early 1970s at the CR&FC Grounds. For over 50 years, it has produced many players not only for Royal as it was opened to all from different schools. The academy produced top class schoolboy and Sri Lanka national players.
Currently there are 120 Kids attending practices and the beloved Sir was present three days a week at the grounds coordinating and guiding the coaches even at the age of 98 years.
Farewell, Summa…
“Mr. Navaratnam rarely came to watch Royal playing when he was coaching. He used to be quite nervous, and used to go to his church and light a candle, specifically during the Bradby Shield games. In 1981, Royal played St. Joseph’s; we beat them 72-0 at Reid Avenue. The record still stands. I was playing loose-head prop and scored the first try in the opening minutes of the game. I was trotting back to the Royal half with the teammates, when suddenly I saw our coach Mr. Navaratnam on the sidelines coming towards me, and from the touchline, he said: ‘You score one more try, forget your colours.’ He wanted us to play the run and pass game, and wanted us to play entertaining rugby, passing the ball to the corners of the field so that the wingers scored. Forwards were ball winners to distribute the ball to the threes to score. That was his philosophy. He was furious if we played badly and won a game, but graciously applauded us even if we lost a game playing good rugby.”
– Ravindranath ‘Ravi’ Wijenathan (1979-1981 – Royal College)
Here’s what another former student, Boa Athu – founder of Straightup Rugby and World Rugby Coach Educator with New Zealand Rugby – had to say all the way from Auckland: “Summa was what I consider a true legend. That term is used far too loosely. But as far as Summa goes, he is every bit of that. A true legend in every sense of the word.
“I was fortunate enough to be coached at junior-age grades, and later at senior level, as he was part of our coaching setup of the champion Royal College first XV of 1998.
“Nothing but fond memories of Summa. His mental skills and mentoring were incredible. Always encouraged us in an inspiring yet light-hearted manner, which resonated with us. We had a short tour of England and Wales back in 1998. We had some amazing memories and chats. He will be greatly missed. A gentleman and a scholar who has influenced many generations of rugby players, and most importantly, taught them to be real men and outstanding humans.”
Senior sports journalist Rex Clementine on his social media pages remembered a famous “Summa special” message always given to young players: “Forget winning and losing and make sure to enjoy the game.”
Anton Benedict, a former Police and Sri Lanka National Rugby player who lives in Melbourne noted: “When I first represented the Police in 1967, we had the rare honour of being coached by the legendary Summa Navaratnam. This is when the Police team – with only five of us who had played schools rugby and the ten other players having not touched a rugby ball before joining the Police – were unbeaten “B” division champs, captained by Subramaniam Sivendran, an old Peterite who created history by prevailing over the odds-on favourites CR&FC in the semifinals. Meeting the star-studded Havelocks in the Clifford Cup finals, after a hard fought match, we ended as runners up in 1970.
“When I first donned the national jersey, he was the coach and one of my mentors, the other two being Dr. (Major) Larry Foenander and Kavan Rambukwella. Foenander was coach of St. Joseph's College 1963/64, and a Royalist who represented Ceylon, Havelocks, and Army in the pivotal position of fly-half with distinction – when as a 16-year-old schoolboy, I was introduced to the ever-so-popular and much-loved game of rugby football. Rambukwella – of Trinity, Ceylon, and CR&FC fame – took over from Summa to continue the good work as coach of the Police rugger team from 1968 to 1972, when the team won the prestigious Clifford Cup for the first time in 1972 by prevailing over yet another star-studded CH&FC team in the finals. These are memories that linger. May their souls rest in peace.”
Royal College Assistant Principal and Senior Games Master Riyaz Aluher penned these words on his Facebook page: “His passing marks the end of an era, and leaves a void that cannot be easily filled.
“What truly set Summa apart was his commitment to instilling values in young athletes. He promoted the idea that sports should be enjoyed, a source of camaraderie and fun rather than merely a pursuit of trophies and fierce competition. His belief was firmly rooted in the spirit of sportsmanship and the joy of playing.
“Summa's dedication and devotion to rugby football and athletics in Sri Lanka were rightfully recognised when he was awarded the ‘Kreeda Bushana’ lifetime Presidential Sports Award. This was a testament to his tireless service and the indelible impact he had on the sports landscape of the country.”
“The most prominent person in my rugby life is no more! Goodbye, sir. May the turf lie gently on you”
– Rajen Wijenathan (Former Royal College player)
These are some of the many thousands of messages and anecdotes we came across during the last few days on the life and times of Summa Navaratnam, the beautiful soul who filled the sporting world with his prowess.
A quote from Navaratnam on the 49th Bradby Shield Souvenir in 1993 goes like this: “We honoured while we struck them down, the foes with fearless eyes.”
RIP Summa… You will always be with us in the green, green grass of Lanka’s rugby fields, where you razzled and dazzled as the lightning-fast bolt of Asia!