Nearing the 90-day mark on the absence of Athletics in Sri Lanka due to the Covid-19 virus, athletes are on a slow roll, training themselves at home. With the Olympics being pushed a year and all foreseeable local meets being cancelled, some of the athletes are perhaps beginning to lose sight of their goals.
A message from Damayanthi Darsha on COVID-19
However, a recent conversation with National Head Coach Y K Kularathne entailed positivity for the future of the sport.
Speaking exclusively with ThePapare.com, Head Coach Kularathne expressed that the Athletics Association and top athletes in the country have already begun planning their comeback to the sport. While all national level athletes are keeping themselves trained as much as they are able to at home, the Athletics Association has big plans of reviving the talent back on the track and field.
President of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka Major General Palitha Fernando sides with the Head coach for a comeback. Reducing a high-level risk of contamination, the national pool will be broken down into three categories – 1. Sprinters, 2. Jumpers and Throwers, 3. Middle-distance runners.
The sprinters are scheduled to be stationed in Diyathalawa, while the Middle-distance runners will be in Diyathalawa and Boralanda. The only group which will travel to Colombo will be the jumpers and throwers who will resume their training at the Torrington.
Apart from training, the Association will be making additions to the previously set Elite Pool of athletes targeted for the Olympics. Joining the Gold Medalists at the 2019 South Asian Games will be Vidusha Lakshani, Nadeesha Ramanayake and Nimali Liyanarachchi. Liyanarachchi missed the Games completely due to a tragic motorcycle accident , days prior to the championship.
Further, Kularathne voiced a vital concern regarding the lack of competition that the players may face, in preparation for the 2021 Olympics, to General Fernando. A beneficial solution was then put forward by the athletes and Kularathnne himself, to have a toned down National Meet to close out the year, to which the President fully agreed.
Although official dates are yet to be set for the meet, the athletes are hopeful for the competition that will most likely take place in September. The Association will look to cap the calendar at that and move on to an intense training period for the Olympics.
While a proper plan is set by the Association in the athletes’ best interests, they still await the green light from the Ministry of Sports regarding the restart and are prepared to comply with any conditions that is put forward by the Ministry to ensure the safety of all.
Stay logged for more updates!
