National Athletics

St. Joseph’s Balika, Kegalle sprinter Rumeshika Ratnayake and men’s 1,500 metres record holder Chaminda Wijekoon are among six new athletes included in the Sri Lanka team for the forthcoming Asian Athletics Championships.

The winners of the first Asian Youth Championships held in Qatar recently were felicitated yesterday at the Sports Ministry in the presence of the Hon. Minister of Sports and Tourism Mr. Navin Dissanayake

Despite producing an impressive performance to win the men’s 400 metres hurdles at the selection trial, promising hurdler Hasith Nirmal’s chances of competing at the Asian Athletics Championships are dim as his name had not been submitted in the probable athletes list The Island learns.

Representing his country at the Olympics twice and SL 400m Champions Sugath Thilakaratne was elected as the new head of the Sri Lanka Athletics Association at the recently held elections. He met up with ThePapare.com to discuss  his plans on how he is going to breathe new life into the National Body.

National Olympic Committee will call a special meeting this week to reconsider the scholarships which have been granted to Sri Lankan athletes targeting next Rio Olympics 2016.

The Golden Girl from Ambagamuwa Central College, Yamani Dulanjali made the whole of Sri Lanka proud with the sensational win of a gold medal at the recently concluded 1st Asian Youth Athletics Championship at Qatar.

Sprinters Himasha Eshan and his training partner Suranjaya de Silva shared the first two places of the men’s 100 metres dash in an eagerly anticipated final, while St. Joseph’s Balika, Kegalle athlete Rumeshika Ratnayake turned tables on veterans in the women’s 100 metres as the Asian Athletics Championship selection trial ended at the Mahinda Rajapaksha International Stadium, Diyagama on Sunday.

School girl Vidusha Lakshani stood out with a new Sri Lanka record as top athletes, vying for Asian Athletics Championships berths, battled wet weather conditions to impress on day one of the Selection Trial held at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Diyagama on Sunday.

London based Sri Lankan athlete Anuradha Indrajith Cooray has qualified for the Rio Olympics Marathon when he broke the long standing Sri Lanka national marathon record at the London Marathon on Sunday, statistician of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka confirmed.

The Zonal Sports Meet will be conducted by the Akkaraipattu Zonal Education Office on April 27, 28 and 29 at the Central College (National School) Play Ground in Akkaraipattu .