Major Deshamanya Duncan M. White MBE, ED (1 March 1918 – 3 July 1998) was a Sri Lankan sportsman. He was the first Ceylonese athlete to win an Olympic medal, winning silver in the 400-metre hurdles at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. He was also the second South Asian to have won an Olympic medal in track and field after Norman Pritchard of India, with the third being Susanthika Jayasinghe, another Sri Lankan, won a silver medal in the 200 metres in 2000. Early life White was born on 1 March 1918 in Lathpandura, near Kalutara, in British Ceylon, the second of four children of John Bernard White and Cecilia Hawk White. He had three brothers, Frederick A. White, also an athlete, Stanley Leonard White and Douglas Andrew White (died 1960). He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy where he was awarded 'Trinity Lion' for athletics; however, this was subsequently withdrawn for disciplinary reasons. He left Trinity in 1937. Sporting career He was selected to the college athletics team at the age of 16 in 1934. He became the college athletics captain at the age of 18 in 1936. He took part in 400-yard hurdles at the 1938 British Empire Games but could not deliver the expected performances after suffering a hamstring injury. He was incredibly the only schoolboy to have picked in the Sri Lankan contingent for the 1938 British Empire Games. He became champion at national public schools championships, Ceylon championships and India-Ceylon championships. He was chosen to represent Ceylon at the dual meet against India in 1945 (Indo-Ceylon Dual Athletic Meet) where he competed in the men's 4×100 yards relay event alongside Summa Navaratnam, R. E. Kitto and Basil Henricus. In 1948, he was selected for the team that represented Ceylon at that year's Summer Olympics in London; the country had gained its independence from Britain that year. It was also historically Sri Lanka's first ever appearance at the Olympics. White was also chosen as the flag-bearer for Sri Lanka during the opening ceremony of the 1948 Summer Olympics. During the 1948 Summer Olympics trials, he surprisingly withdrew from competing in men's 100m and 400m events, a decision which did not go too well with the sports officials and the authorities at the times. He won silver in the 400-meter hurdles in the final on 31 July 1948, the first Olympic medal for Ceylon. He