Sri Lanka’s Genie towers above the competition, but she hasn’t had an easy ride

In other countries she’d be an Olympic volleyballer, or perhaps a millionaire basketball star. But as Jarrod Kimber explains, this world-class netball player has had to battle to get on the court

When Genie shoots, she invariably scores (Getty)

Singapore goal defender Qingyi Lin is floating above the court. It would be ethereal or beautiful if she weren’t also scrambling to deflect a shot at a height usually reached with a ladder. The reason she’s above the ground is that goal keeper Premila Hirubalan is holding her by the waist.

This is not a standard move in netball and it wouldn’t be named until the next year, when it was dubbed the Harrison Hoist. It looks like a rough ballet move or something from the rugby field.

We are at the 2011 World Netball Championships, and Singapore are playing their arch-rivals, Sri Lanka. These are the best teams in Asia, but there’s one big difference: to get above two metres in the air it takes two Singapore women; for Sri Lanka, it takes one. Tharjini Sivalingam is 208cm tall (6ft 10in).