Sri Lanka bagged ten gold, ten silver and 14 bronze medals to finish second to India who topped the medals tally with 20 gold medals at the 2nd South Asian Junior Athletics Championships concluded at Ranchi, India yesterday.
Day two was a successful day for Sri Lanka where they won eight gold medals in a single day including all four relay events.
Sri Lanka captain Supun Randeniya returned to record breaking time to win the gold medal in the 110m hurdles event. Schoolboy from Ranabima Royal College Peradeniya returned his personal best time in the event with 13. 64 seconds to shatter the previous meet record of 14.62 seconds set by T. Balamurugan of India in 2007. His team mate Malin Udaya Kumara from Prince College Rathnapura won the silver medal in the same event in a time of 14.41 seconds.
Randeniya, bronze medallist at the Asian Junior Championship, Colombo 2012 and the world junior participant, is Sri Lanka’s number one hurdler, be it junior or senior level while he is also the first to run below 14 seconds in the country in senior or junior category.
Teenage sprint sensation Himasha Eashan from Kalutara Vidyalaya won the gold medal in the 200m after missing out in the 100m the day before. Eashan clocked 21.44 seconds for this feat. Eashan too shattered the previous meet record (21.91 seconds) set by Shehan Ambepitiya in 2007. In fact all first four places of the 200m ran below the previous record time.
Malik Khan Fernando of St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya won the bronze medal in this event in a time of 21.69 seconds.
Purnima Gunaratne 16-year-old high jumper form Leeds International School Wattala won a gold medal in the women’s high jump clearing 1.68 metres.
Young thrower from St. Bridget’s Convent Colombo, Amanthi Oshadi Silva won a gold medal in the discus throw with a 41.65m throw. This is the second medal for her having won a silver medal in the shot putt event the day before.
Sri Lanka relay teams were superior to India as Sri Lanka won all four gold medals in the 4×100 and 4x400m relays for boys and girls to finish the meet on a high note.
Girls 4x100m team (D. Maduwantha, Lakshani Silva, Shaleena Fernando and Rumesha Rathnayake) clocked 47.31 seconds to win the race with ease over India who were nearly eight metres behind.
Boys 4x100m team (Samith Lakmal, Nisal Sachinthana, Malik Fernando and Himasha Eashan) clocked 41.42 seconds to win the gold medal.
Girls 4x400m relay team (Wathsala Kumari, Nirmali Madushika, Kanchana Kumari, Shivanthi Rathnayake) clocked 3 minute 51.4 seconds almost 8 seconds ahead of second placed India.
Boys 4x400m relay team (Samith Lakmal, Lahiru Prasanjith, Vinura Lakmal, Harshan Chathuranga) clocked 3 minutes 15.46 seconds to win the gold medal after tough battle with India who finished just 0.20 seconds behind.
Malin Udaya Kumara won a second medal, a bronze in the long jump when he cleared 7.14m while his team mate Vinura Lakmal from Maris Stella won the silver medal clearing 7.26 metres.
Nadeesha Ramanayake won a silver medal in the women’s 800m. She clocked 2 minute 12. 82 seconds for this feat.
Hurdler from Gateway College Rajagiriya, Ireshani Rajasinghe won a bronze medal in the girls 110m hurdles (15.26 seconds) while Ashen Jayawardane of Ananda College Chilaw threw 51.98m to win the bronze medal in the men’s discus throw.
Pramodha Abeysinghe of A. Rathnayake CC Walala who didn’t complete the 1500m race on Monday won the bronze medal in the 3000m yesterday when she clocked exactly 11 minutes in the event.
Rumeshika Ratnayake sprinter from St. Joseph’s BV Kegalle won her second bronze medal of the meet in the 200m event. She won the bronze in the 100m on the first day where she clock 25.23 seconds yesterday to win the same medal in the women’s 200m.
Dushan Hemantha of St. Peter’s won the bronze medal in the 1500m. The former captain of St. Peter’s first XI cricket team, clocked 4 minutes 02.57 seconds for this feat. Lakshani Sarangi Silva of Sri Sumangala BV Panadura jumped 5.36m in the women’s long jump to win the bronze medal.
Apart from India and Sri Lanka the other countries able to win medals were Pakistan and Bangladesh who won bronze medals at relays.
The 3rd South Asian Junior Athletic championships will be held in Sir Lanka in 2015.
