Ajith Kumara Karunathilaka of Sri Lanka Electrical Mechanical Engineers improved the decathlon Sri Lanka record for the second time within a month when he aggregated 6,477 points on the second day of the SL Army Inter Regiment Athletics Championship at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Tuesday.
The official results issued on Tuesday showed 6,477 points against his name. It was a nine-point improvement of his own national record. The athlete from Polonnaruwa who took up the discipline only a year ago broke the national record for the first time at the Defence Services Athletics C’ships which was held early this month. There his aggregate was 6,468 points.
Throwers, hurdlers shine on day two –
While Kumara owned the only National Record of the meet, throwers Charith Kapukotuwa and Nadeeka Lakmali, hurdler Ireshani Rajasinghe and steeplechase athlete Nilani Ratnayake established new meet records in individual events. In the 4x200m relay events SLEME and the sixth SLAWC teams created new meet records in the men’s and women’s categories.
National record holder Lakmalee (2nd SLAWC) recovered from the set back suffered at the Defence Services Athletics early this month to create a new meet record with a throw of 57.58m in women’s javelin throw. She managed to throw only a distance of 53.34m at the same venue early this month. That was following her disastrous performance at the Asian Games.
However on Tuesday she showed glimpses of her former self with the record distance.
Young hurdler Rajasinghe (6th SLAWC) won the women’s 100m hurdles with a new meet record time of 14.64 seconds, while W. D. L. Sugandi (2nd SLAWC) also bettered the previous record with a feat of 16.98 seconds.
In the women’s steeplechase Nilani Ratnayake of 7th SLAWC created a new meet record as she won the event in a time of ten minutes and 15.16 seconds.
SLEME bagged the 4x200m relay title with a new meet record time of one minute and 25.74 seconds while Sri Lanka Artillery were placed second with a time of 1:27.04 seconds.
The sixth SLAWC won the corresponding women’s event in a new record time of one minute and 43.17 seconds.
Kapukotuwa established a record in the men’s discus throw as he cleared a distance of 52.57m to win the event in comprehensive ease.
