Sri Lankan youth para athletes delivered an outstanding performance at the 3rd Asian Youth Para Games by testing their talent, strength, and commitment. The championship concluded in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, delivering one of the most inspiring and memorable editions in the history of the Games. The nine-member Sri Lankan contingent proved to be a formidable force, securing an impressive five medals, including three golds and two bronzes.
The athlete from Sir John Kothalawala Maha Vidyalaya, Kurunegala, Dilmini Udumbara Kumarage, outshone in the championship with two gold medals after clinching the Under-17 F40/41 shot put and discus throw events. Dilmini went on to clinch the gold medal at the shot put event with a best throw of 3.69 metres. She carried her fine rhythm into the discus throw event and recorded a best throw of 12.44 metres to become the best youth female para athlete from that segment in Asia.
Dulmini was at the core of Sri Lanka’s success, and her coach, Athula Seneviratne (PTI – Physical Training Instructor), himself an old boy of her school, had done a remarkable job to escalate the young girl’s raw talents to a level where she could outsmart the global talents.
Apart from the majestic victory of Dilmini, the sprinter, Senuwara Sandilu clinched Sri Lanka’s third gold medal by winning the Under-17 T42–47/T61–64 100 metres event. Sandilu recorded a timing of 12.29 seconds as his best timing during the championship and became the fastest para youth athlete in Asia from that category. In addition, Sandilu displayed his remarkable skill at the T47 long jump event with a leap of 4.96 metres to win a bronze medal. But unfortunately he missed his third medal in the championship after clocking 26.11 seconds and finishing fourth in the 200-metre race.
Another sprinting talent, Mohamed Isham Yoonus, secured Sri Lanka’s fifth medal at the youth para championship. Short-distance runner Yoonus clinched a bronze in the T47 400-metre event after recording an impressive time of 1 minute 01.95 seconds. In the 200-metre event of the same category, the Sri Lankan youth athlete managed to reach the finals but was only able to secure seventh place with a timing of 27.60 seconds.
Sri Lanka’s premier medal hopes were shattered as the team captain, Viruja Rathnawardhana, was caught with a sudden illness and eventually was unable to participate in his events (T20 long jump and 400 metres).
Sri Lanka’s another medal hope shattered as the throwing athlete, Charin Minrurha, competed in the javelin throw event (Under-20 F42 category), only able to reach eighth spot. He also competed in both the discus throw and shot put events but came to the 11th position on both occasions. All the athletics events were conducted in both the under-17 and under-20 age categories.
Apart from athletics, Madew Dehigahawatta and Rusith Silva featured in the youth para table tennis competition. The Sri Lankan duo managed to reach the semifinals with a solid display but eventually fell short of a medal as they couldn’t progress beyond fourth place.
Further, para-youth shuttlers Mark Kaushalya and Himath Ranasinghe represented Sri Lanka at the badminton competitions. Both Kaushalya and Ranasinghe ended their boy’s singles event (SH6 category) journeys after losing in the quarter-finals. The duo displayed a spirited performance in the boy’s doubles event and unfortunately failed to secure a podium finish after the back-to-back losses in the semifinals and consolation finals. Despite the losses, their fourth-place finish should definitely be praised on the Asian Youth Para stage.
The Games brought together over 1,500 athletes from 35 nations across 11 sports (para archery, para arm wrestling, para athletics, para badminton, boccia, goalball, para powerlifting, para swimming, para table tennis, para taekwondo, and wheelchair basketball) in a celebration of youth, excellence, and inclusion. The weekend marked the end of a landmark edition that witnessed the breaking of 25 records, including 9 world records and 16 continental records, a powerful testament to the rising standard of Para sport across Asia.
Uzbekistan led the overall medals table with 197 medals (99 gold, 57 silver, and 41 bronze medals), followed by strong performances from the Islamic Republic of Iran with 262 medals (76 gold, 96 silver, and 90 bronze medals) and Japan, with 40 gold, underlining the depth of emerging talent across the continent.
India finished their campaign with a record 56 medals (19 gold, 15 silver and 22 bronze), showcasing a massive jump from previous editions and the best-ever performance at the continental stage. Bangladesh and Maldives won their first-ever medals at the Asian Youth Para Games, with Bangladesh making a remarkable debut by securing three gold medals.
Twin gold medalist, Dulmini with her coach and her medals
The Sri Lankan Para Athletes
