Corporal Dulith Dassanayake of the Sri Lanka Air Force has set a world record in the hack lift in the under-95 kg weight category at the 13th World Strength Lifting Championship 2026 in Kyrgyzstan, Hiru News reported, citing the Air Force.

Dassanayake lifted 260 kilograms to secure the record.

The homecoming

He returned to Sri Lanka on 15 September. A felicitation ceremony was held for him at the Sri Lanka Air Force Base in Hingurakgoda on 23 September, under the patronage of the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Air Force Weightlifting Pool, Air Commodore Sanoj Jayaratne.

Members of the Air Force Weightlifting Club attended alongside other Air Force personnel.

A note on timing

The record and the ceremony both predate this report: the Air Force’s account of the achievement was published on Sunday, 27 September, while the felicitation took place four days earlier and the athlete’s return nearly a fortnight ago. Hiru’s report does not give the dates of the championship itself.

Hack lift is a barbell event in which the bar is lifted from behind the legs rather than in front of the body. Hiru’s report does not name the sanctioning federation or the previous record mark, and no other verified newsroom had carried the story at the time of writing.

Update, 1 October: promoted to Sergeant

The Air Force has given Dassanayake a special promotion from Corporal to Sergeant in recognition of the record, approved by the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe.

A felicitation and appreciation ceremony was held at Air Force Headquarters on 1 October, at which Edirisinghe also presented him with a special financial reward. The amount was not disclosed.

This later reporting also settles a detail the original Hiru account left out: Dassanayake won the gold medal in the under-95 kg hack lift, as well as setting the record. The championship’s sanctioning federation and the previous record mark are still not named by any outlet.

Note that this is a second, separate ceremony — the Hingurakgoda felicitation above took place on 23 September.

Sources