The award winning athletes of the Junior National Athletics Championship and their representatives pose with the officials and representatives of Bank of Ceylon, the sponsors after the Junior National Athletics Championship at Diyagama yesterday.
Anandian Arosh Kariyawasam wins a Battle of the Maroons in the Under-18 boys’ 100 metres beating M.N. Sachinthana (left) from Nalanda College at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium at Diyagama yesterday.
Ananda College sprinter Arosh Kariyawasam and Kathaluwa Central athlete Nirmali Madushika proved that their selections for the IAAF World Youth Athletics Championship were not coincidences as they produced impressive performances again to bag the best athlete titles in the Under-18 boys and girls categories respectively on the final day of the Junior National Athletics Championship at Diyagama yesterday.
The duo had already qualified for the world event when they came for the Junior Nationals and they took the opportunity to further improve their personal best performances.
Kariyawasam produced his personal best time of 10.90 seconds to win the Under-18 boys’ 100 metres, while Madushika too achieved her personal best with a feat of 56.47 seconds. The emerging runner from Kathaluwa Central, Ahangama lowered the record established by Nadeeshani Henderson in the year 2010.
Incidentally, Madushika’s performance was the best in all age-group 400 metres in the girls’ category. Henderson who won the Under-23 event returned a time of 57.36 seconds.
Most of the attention on the four day event was on the Under-18 age category as the meet provided the athletes in that age group an opportunity to qualify for the Youth World Championship. Ratnayake Central athletes, namely Hansajith Malinda Weerasinghe and Bandula Madusanka in the Under-18 boys’ 2000 metres steeplechase and Mahesha Kumari Weerasinghe in the Under-18 girls’ 2000 metres steeplechase made the most of the opportunity earning qualifying standards on day three.
On the final day, emerging national high jumper Milan Dissanayake cleared a height of 2.14 metres to establish a new meet record in the Under-23 boys high jump, while H.D.V. Lakshani of Newstead Girls College, Negombo cleared 12.13 metres in the Under-18 girls’ triple jump to create a new meet mark.
Sri Lanka Air Force sprinter H.D.L. Fernando also created a new meet record retuning a time of 12.45 seconds to win the Under-23 girls 100 metres.
During the four days of competition national number one Milantha Dissanayake’s performance in the Under-23 boys’ long jump was the best feat in the men’s category. Dissanayake’ bagged the best athlete title in his age category and the award for the best long jumper, while Eranga Dulakshi bagged the award for the best performance in the girls category.
Best athlete awards:
Under-16 Boys’- W.S. Hasalanka (Seventh Day Adventist Col, Kandana- 47.40 m)
Under-16 Girls’- M.R.M.S. Madurapperuma (St. Joseph’s Balika, Kegalle – 200m- 26.41 sec)
Under-18 Boys’– Arosh Kariyawasam (Ananda College, Colombo- 100m – 10.90sec)
Under-18 Girls’- Nirmali Madushika (Kathaluwa Central, Ahangama- 400m- 56.46 sec)
Under-20 Boys’- V.P.A. Jayasiri (Sri Lanka Air Force- Long Jump 7.21m)
Under-20 Girls’- Kaushalya Madushani (Kuliyapitiya CC- 400 m hurdles- 1:03.55 sec)
Under-23 Boys’- Milantha Dissanayake (Sri Lanka Army- 7.52m)
Under-23 Girls’- Eranga Dulakshi (Sri Lanka Air Force- 3000m steeplechase- 10:38.5sec)
Best Long Jumper of the meet: Milantha Dissanayake
Best Women’s hurdler: Eranga Dulakshi (SL Air Force- U-23 400m hurdlers 1:01.97sec)
Best Thrower: R.M.S.J. Ranasinghe (Sri Lanka Air Force- Javelin – 66m)
