Sports
Nilani to fight for Tokyo ticket as team leave for Patiala
by Reemus Fernando
A ten member athletics contingent inclusive of country’s highest ranked runner Nilani Ratnayake was schedule to leave for India today with the latter aiming to retain her hard earned berth for Tokyo Olympics at the Interstate Athletics Championship in Patiala.
The Athletics Federation of India is hosting the 60th National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships from June 25-29 to provide Indian athletes with a qualification opportunity for the Tokyo Olympic Games. The June 29th is the last date of the qualifying period for the postponed Tokyo Games. India’s top national athletes had been training in a bio secure bubble in Patiala and Sri Lanka’s athletes too will be competing under same conditions.
The Athletics Federation of India invited their Sri Lankan counterparts to send a team inclusive of a women’s 4×100 metres relay team as they look forward to qualify their women’s 4×100 metres team for the Games. South Asian Games medallist Amasha de Silva will anchor the Sri Lankan team.
The other five members of the team are the highest ranked Sri Lankan athletes closest to Olympic qualifying standards in their respective disciplines but it will be a tough ask for them to improve on their world rankings during the last week of the qualifying period as some of them have slipped down in rankings due to lack of competitions.
Ratnayake, who was the first Sri Lankan to secure a top position in the ‘Road to Olympic Rankings’ has slipped to the 39th position during the last couple of weeks. Her participation in the Tokyo Olympics is under threat. While her counterparts in Europe and elsewhere have quality competitions to improve their rankings, Ratnayake has only the competition in Patiala to retain her position. A win in Patiala will not earn her much points. If she falls below the 45th position in the World Ranking she will lose her ticket to Olympics. However it will be a totally different scenario if she clocks sub nine minutes and 30 seconds which only 28 athletes have achieved so far in the race to Olympics.
Rio Olympic participant Sumedha Ranasinghe who is ranked 46th in the Road to Olympics Rankings has a tough target as he has to climb 14 positions up to secure the Olympic berth in men’s javelin throw. A mighty throw of 85 metres is the only other option.
Nimali Liyanarachchi, 55th in the Road to Olympics Rankings in 800 metres, Nadeesha Ramanayake 57th in the 400 metres and Kalinga Kumarage (400m) have to reach the top 48 if they are to brush shoulders against the world’s best in Tokyo. Analysts consider it as a tough ask for them even if they reach their personal best in India.
Sri Lanka Athletics had earlier intended to send a bigger team to provide competition starved athletes a chance to gain exposure as the air tickets and lodgings of a better part of the team had been taken care of by the hosts. But the team had been pruned after the Sports Ministry advice.
However that has disappointed many top ranked athletes as the missed opportunity will affect their chances of improving the world rankings, which is a must for future events.
Local athletes missed vital opportunities to improve their world rankings when the Asian Athletics Championship, Asian Relay Championship and a number of other international events were cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Team:
Sumeda Ranasinghe (Javelin), Kalinga Kumarage (400m), Nadeesha Ramanayake (400m), Nimali Liyanarachchi (800m), Nilani Ratnayake (3,000m steeplechase).
4x100metres Relay Team:
Amasha de Silva, Shelinda Jansen, Medhani Jayamanne, Shafiya Yamick, Lakshika Sugandi.
Officials:
Vimukthi Zoysa, Sujith Abeysekara.
Sri Lanka Athletics has invited India, the Philippines and the Maldives for next month’s Relay Championships conducted by Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association in a bid to provide the men’s 4×400 metres relay quartet with a chance to reach qualifying standards for the World Relays.
Currently Sri Lanka men’s 4×400 metres relay team is within the required ranking position to compete at the prestigious World Relays taking place in Guangzhou, China. The 3:04.48 seconds finish to win the gold medal of the men’s 4×400 metres at the Asian Relays in May last year has placed Sri Lanka in the 31st position in the ‘Road to Guangzhou’ rankings.
But with many competitions coming up within the next couple of months Sri Lanka Athletics wants to leave no stone unturned in their quest to keep the ranking position within the qualifying range.
The teams in the first 32 positions according to the times produced within the qualifying period (January 1, 2024 to April 13, 2025) become eligible for the World Relays taking place on May 10 and 11 in Guangzhou.
Sri Lanka’s chances of improving the current standings (31st) at this week’s World Indoor Championship in China are minimal as Olympian Aruna Dharshana, who is the fastest of the current crop of athletes will not be available for the event.
Dharshana is currently training and competing in Australia. He is looking forward to reach qualifying standards or reach the required ranking position for World Championships in the 400 metres.
The World Athletics has set a tough standard of 44.85 seconds for the men’s 400 metres. While only 17 are selected through direct qualifying standards, 31 athletes are selected through rankings for the 400 metres. Dharshana is yet yo enter rankings to be eligible for the World Championships.
Sri Lanka Athletics will field Dharshana, Kalinga Kumarage, S.B.R. Madushan and Sadew Rajakaruna for the relay event in April.
by Reemus Fernando
Defence Services Beach Volleyball Championship 2025 was held from March 12 to 14 at the SLAF beach volleyball courts, Katunayake. During the finals SLAF Men’s team defeated SL Army (2-0) while the SL Navy Women’s team defeated SLAF Women’s team (2-0). Incidentally is the seventh Defence Services Beach Volleyball title won by the SLAF Men’s Team.
Base Commander SLAF Base Katunayake AVM Dhammika Dias graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Chairman of SLAF Volleyball, Group Captain Milinda Mendis, Senior Officers from SL Army and Navy were also present for the finals.
The Central Province Badminton Association (CPBA) is now accepting entries for one of Sri Lanka’s most anticipated badminton competitions, the Summer Season All-Island Open Championships 2025, which will be staged at the Municipal Council Indoor Stadium in Nuwara Eliya from April 21 to 27.
The highly followed seven-day annual badminton tournament, held during the Nuwara Eliya April Holiday Season, is known to attract Sri Lanka’s top ranked shuttlers. The National Ranking Level 1 competition, sanctioned by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), is one of the key sporting attractions of Nuwara Eliya during April every year, known to generate increasing public interest.
The championship will feature a wide range of events from Under-11 to Under-19 in the Junior category and Over-30 to Over-70 in the Senior category, with an addition of three Combined Age segment of 100+. The main attraction of the competition will be the Open events comprising Men’s and Women’s Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles, with an addition of a Plate Championship for the losers in Men’s and Women’s Singles.
The opening ceremony will take place on April 21st at 9:00am, followed by the preliminary rounds, leading up to the climax on April 26 with the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The excitement will continue on April 27 with the highly anticipated semi-finals and final matches, followed by the Closing Ceremony to mark the culmination of this championship.
The main draw seeding will be determined based on SLB Ranking as of April 13, followed by the draw on April 16 at 11:00am at No.2, Cambridge Terrace, Colombo 7. Entries will close on April 10 at noon. Entries can be submitted online or by contacting Sadeesha Adithya on 0761759017 and further details of the tournament are available in the prospectus published in the SLB website.
A total prize money of Rs.750,000 for all events based on the number of entries will be on offer, in addition to trophies, medals and certificates guaranteed for winners, runners-up and semi-finalists of each event of the tournament. Junior winners will receive appropriate gifts instead of prize money, according to a decision taken by the tournament organisers. The tournament is sponsored by Mobil, Li Ning, McFoil, 3M and GAC.
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