Second-day proceedings of the athletic competition of the 3rd Asian Youth Games concluded by lifting Sri Lanka’s medal tally with another couple of bronze medals. Throwing athlete Chathura Dhananjaya, who featured in the javelin throw event, and sprinter Shanuka Costa, who competed in the finals of the 400 m race, managed to have those podium finishes. The championship is taking place at Bahrain National Stadium, in Riffa, Bahrain.
The first bronze medal of the day for Sri Lanka came courtesy of Shanuka Costa in the finals of the 400-metre race. The sprinting prodigy from Gateway College, Negombo, couldn’t get an excellent start, but he recovered well within a few seconds to be in a competitive position in the race. While he was competing with the South Korean sprinter for the lead, the Chinese, who won the gold medal, Jia Yang (46.57 seconds), and the silver medallist, Qatari athlete Saeed Shoaib (47.18 seconds), passed him from the left at the final metres of the second bend. This is a landmark achievement for the rising Lankan talent, as he managed to achieve his personal best timing with 47.72 seconds during the victory. This young talent represented Sri Lanka at the 6th Asian under 18 Athletics Championship in Saudi Arabia (2025) in the 400m boys and medley relays.
Further, Chathura Dulanjana Jayathissa of Weera Parakrama Secondary School, Yatawatta, Matale, clinched a bronze medal in the javelin throw event with an excellent throw of 62.51 metres. His magnificent throw is a testament to the talent of the island nation, and this performance continues Sri Lanka’s proud legacy in the javelin event on the continental stage.
The gold medal of the event went to H. Wu of China for a magnificent throw of 68.38 metres, and the silver medal was clinched by B. Qiu with a throw of 64.91 metres.
Further, Sri Lankan middle-distance runner Nathan Wiladdara of Rahula College, Matara, featured in the 800m preliminary round race and was selected for the finals by placing 3rd with a timing of 1 minute and 58.08 seconds. At the 2024 Junior National Championships (Under-16 boys), he clocked 1:58.92 in the 800 m and set a New Meet Record (NMR) by breaking the 2-minute barrier in the under-16boys category.
Apart from Wiladdara, P. H. Amaya, who competed in the girls’ 400-metre hurdles event, won second place in the preliminary round and qualified for the finals.
Another youth talent, Methuka Malhiru, participated in the boys’ 400-metre hurdles event with a high level of hope. But he wasn’t able to make any progress and had to be satisfied with the 6th position with a timing of 58.42 seconds.
So far Sri Lankan youth athletes have managed to fight shoulder to shoulder with the top-notch youth talents of the Asian region, and these achievements are a strong indicator of the talent and future potential of our youths.
