Gymnast welcomed to hall of fame - Prashanth Sellathurai (Class of 2005)

Champion gymnast and medical doctor Prashanth Sellathurai (Class of 2005), who has been inducted into his sport’s Hall of Fame, says he wouldn’t be where he is today without the support he received at Trinity. 

The 36-year-old winner of five Commonwealth Games medals, who is continuing his studies in the UK, cherishes both the moral and practical backing he enjoyed. 

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Trinity from Kindergarten through to Year 12 and I have so many fond memories,” he said.

“One that stands out is when I was competing at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. My House Tutor, Mr Sherwin, found a pommel horse in the gym and had all the Hilliard Boys gather around it with messages of support. He sent me a picture and video of it. It was a very warming gesture, and I really felt the support and heart of the School behind me.  

“Trinity helped me pursue both my sporting and academic goals by allowing me to complete the HSC under the Pathways programme. That meant I could sit half my subjects one year and the other half the following year, which helped me succeed in both my gymnastics training and studies. 

“I hold the teachers at Trinity in high esteem as they have always been supportive of the ‘mind, body and spirit’ approach. 

“They went above and beyond in supporting me academically. When I would return from competitions after missing one or two weeks of school, they would make time in their lunch break to go through homework or catch up on experiments that I had missed.  

“Without them I would not be where I am today. They have my utmost gratitude.”

Prashanth, the son of Sri Lankan Tamils who came to Australia as refugees, is undertaking training as a GP in Oxford and hopes to do a masters in sports medicine after that. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Buckingham in 2019. 

He was part of the Australian men’s squad which won its first team gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010, a victory sealed by his performance on the rings. 

He also won the pommel horse event in Delhi. 

He is a three-time medallist on the pommel horse at the World Championships. 
 

Career Achievements

World Championships: 

Silver    2006 pommel horse 

Bronze  2009 pommel horse 

Bronze  2010 pommel horse
 

Commonwealth Games: 

Gold 2010 team event 

Gold 2010 pommel horse 

Silver 2006 team event 

Silver 2006 pommel horse 

Bronze 2010 parallel bars