Sports
Bandara plans for Commonwealth Youth Games medal
Ayomal secures fourth place in Word Youth top list
by Reemus Fernando
Ambagamuwa Central hurdle prodigy Ayomal Akalanka, who won a bronze medal at the just concluded Asian Youth Championships in Uzbekistan has secured fourth place in the World Athletics top list in the Youth category for his massive personal best achieved at the regional event.
The athlete trained by veteran coach Anura Bandara clocked a blistering 51.40 seconds to clinch the bronze medal in the 400 metres hurdles in Uzbekistan on Sunday.
According to World Athletics Youth World top lists published on Monday, Ayomal’s 51.40 is the fourth fastest performance in the world this year in a list where a number of Jamaican, South African and Australian hurdlers are trailing behind him.
What makes Ayomal and his coach Bandara happier is the medal prospects he carries to the upcoming Commonwealth Youth Games.
From the time Ayomal achieved the qualifying standards for the regional event in February, Bandara was planning for things beyond the Asian level.
“Athletes should be going for international competitions to win not to enjoy the trip. Akalanka has the potential to win medals at both the Asian Youth Championships and the Commonwealth Youth Games,” Bandara told The Island in February.
With one of his predictions coming true over the weekend, Bandara is planning for the next challenge ahead.
Ayomal Akalanka is ranked fourth in the World Athletics top list for Under 18 boys’ hurdlers for year 2023.
“We will plan for Commonwealth Youth Games now as he has the potential to win a podium place in Port of Spain,” Bandara told The Island on Monday.
With the current form he is in, the meet record in the Under 18 boys’ 400 metres hurdles at next week’s Junior National Championship is at serious threat.
Sri Lanka Athletics has made the Junior National Championship the final selection trial for the Commonwealth Youth Games. Bandara said that despite the busy schedule his charge will compete at the four-day championships starting on Sunday(7).
“We will not skip the Junior National Championships. The meet is compulsory for those aspiring to qualify for the Commonwealth Youth Games,” he said.
Bandara who is well known for training Sugath Thilakaratne to win medals at Asian Games and beyond has produced a number of hurdlers in recent years. The first Asian Youth Games gold medallist Yamani Dulanjali, who was also from Ambagamuwa was another product of Bandara. She gave up the sport before she reached her peak.
It is incumbent upon authorities to make sure that the likes of Ayomal do not follow in the footsteps of Dulanjali.
Morocco’s plans for their World Cup quarterfinal against France have been shaken up after it was confirmed that star forward Ismael Saibari will miss the match.
Saibari sustained a hamstring injury in the last-16 match against Canada and has not recovered in time for the crucial knockout match, coach Mohamed Ouahbi said on Wednesday.
“Everyone is 100 percent fit except Saibari. This game comes too soon for him, but I hope he is not out for the rest of the competition,” Ouahbi told reporters ahead of Thursday’s last-eight showdown in Boston.
Saibari, who has just joined Bayern Munich from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on a five-year deal for a reported fee of 50 million euros ($57m), has been one of the standout players at this year’s World Cup.
He scored in each of his team’s three group games and converted the winning penalty in the shootout as Morocco beat the Netherlands in the last 32.
However, the attacking midfielder came off early with a hamstring problem in the 3-0 win against Canada in the last 16 last Saturday.
Should Morocco progress, Saibari might make a comeback in the semifinals.
“He’s not ready, but I hope it’s not the end of the tournament for him,” Ouahbi said.
Saibari went off the pitch to receive medical attention after sustaining an injury against Canada [Aljazeera]
Soufiane Rahimi, who is an out-and-out striker, came on for Saibari in that game and scored Morocco’s third goal.
The Atlas Lions are seeking to avenge their 2-0 defeat against France in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup.
That was the first time any African or Arab team had reached the last four of the tournament, and their incentive this time is to match that run.
Ouahbi dismissed suggestions that his team can say they have already had a successful tournament by getting to the quarterfinals.
“We absolutely want to win the game tomorrow, so we will not listen to people who say it doesn’t matter if we go out now,” said the coach, who took over from Walid Regragui in March.
“Tomorrow, we will try to get to the semifinals. I don’t like this sentiment that we have already done well and anything else is a bonus,” added Ouahbi, who said he had watched the 2022 meeting of the sides as a fan, on television.
Meanwhile, Morocco’s Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz insisted his side can compete with the much-fancied France as he prepares to come up against Kylian Mbappe, his colleague at club level.
“Tomorrow, we are playing one of the favourites, but we have shown we can compete, and that is why we are here. I have full faith and full confidence in the team.”
[Aljazeera]
West Indies have been fined ten percent of their match fee and penalised two World Test Championship (WTC) points for maintaining a slow over-rate in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Antigua.
Match referee Javagal Srinath imposed the sanction after the hosts were found to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
As per to the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, players are fined five percent of their match fee for each over their team fails to bowl within the allotted time, with the maximum penalty capped at 50 percent of the match fee. Additionally, a side is penalised one point in the WTC points table for each over short as per the ICC WTC playing conditions.
Captain Roston Chase pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
West Indies bowled 188.3 overs across both innings and secured a draw after conceding a 50-run deficit in the first innings. Having won the first Test at the same venue, by an innings and 217 runs, the result was enough to complete a 1-0 series win. They stand ninth on the WTC table with 18 points, after the deduction, with one win, two draws and seven losses in ten games.
[Cricinfo]
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