South Asian Champion sprinter, Rumeshika Ratnayake qualified for the semifinal of the Women’s 200m at the Asian Games, securing third place in her first-round heat with a timing of 23.79secs.
Photos: Athletics | Asian Games 2018 – Women’s 200m (Day 10)
ThePapare.com | 28/08/2018 Editing and re-using images without…
Rumeshika competed in the difficult 8th lane but had an explosive start, negotiating the curve well but Silver medalist in the 100m Indian Dutee Chand showcased sheer pace in the home straight to clinch the top spot in the heat clocking 23.37secs. Thi Lan Quach of Vietnam sneaked in on Rumeshika to take the second-place clocking 23.72secs completing the three qualification spots from the heat.
With a personal best time of 23.40 recorded in Bhubaneswar India where she managed to win the Silver medal in the Women’s 200m at the Asian Athletic Championship behind Viktoriya Zyabkina of Kazakhstan, Rumeshika can turn up the heat provided she has challenging competition. Despite being plagued with injury concerns, Rumeshika showcased a glimpse of her old self at the Commonwealth Games in July this year, qualifying for the semifinals where she ran her seasonal best time of 23.43secs.
Despite having performed well in the 100m in the recent competitions, Rumeshika’s name was not entered to the 100m event at the Asian Games to the shock and disappointment of the athlete and eager followers of the sport. Rumeshika however will be determined to make amends and make a statement to the selectors by going as far as she can in the 200m.
The Semifinal round of the Women’s 200m is scheduled to be held at 5.20pm today (28th August) where the Sri Lankan sprint queen race for spot in the final. Be updated on Rumeshika’s progress by visiting www.thepapare.com/athletics as ThePapare.com is dedicated bringing you the action as it happens of Sri Lanka’s #1 sports hub.
