Sri Lankan athletes participating in the Thai Open Track and field Championship won three medals yesterday which included a Gold and two Bronze medals.
A team of seven Sri Lankan athletes flew to Thailand to take part in the competition with the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka (AASL) opting to put up a team of athletes who have not received an opportunity to compete in the international stage despite being the domestic leaders in their respective events.
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Shyama Dulani of Sri Lanka Army who has been impressive in the past couple of months, made sure her maiden international competition was a memorable one as she managed to win Gold in the women’s 400m hurdles. Shyama clocked a time of 1:02.49 mins to clinch Gold in the event. Despite not managing to better her personal best time which is 59.83secs, Shyama did well to execute a very well planned race, enabling her to win Gold in her very first international competition. It’s an incredible achievement for the 26-year-old hurdler who has come through the ranks and she will be an athlete to keep an eye out for.
Meanwhile, Long Jumper Sarangi Silva of Sri Lanka Army equaled her personal best in the Women’s Long jump to clinch a Bronze medal. Sarangi’s best leap was measured at 6.12m equaling her personal best which was recorded at national trials at Sugathadasa stadium in late March this year. Having managed to equal her personal best in the very first opportunity she got, Sarangi will be determined to leap further this year and better her personal best.
Asanka Rathnasena of Sri Lanka Airforce won Bronze in the Men’s 400m hurdles clocking a time of 52.67secs. Rathnasena, who is the national champion in the event and boasts of a personal best of 51.23 secs, is determined to break the 50sec barrier in the event which has not been breached since the early years of the new millennium.
