Sports

Perseverance pays off for Nimali

Published

5 years ago

2021/07/11

Sahan Weerasooriya

Tokyo Olympics- 12 days to go

by Reemus Fernando

No runner has excelled in multiple track events like Nimali Liyanarachchi during the last one and half decades in Sri Lanka. Except the sprint events of 100 and 200 metres and the track’s longest event the 10,000 metres, Liyanarachchi has competed in all other distances and achieved success at national level in all. As her fellow track and field athletes and coach Sujith Abeysekara would vouch for, it was the perseverance and the dedication that powered Liyanarachchi to achieve success at national and at Asian level. The ‘universality place’ that Liyanarachchi received from World Athletics to take part in the Tokyo Olympics is the ultimate reward for her perseverance.

The middle distance runner from Sooriyawewa alongside Gayanthika Abeyratne were the biggest medal hopes for Sri Lanka at Asian level in the women’s category during the latter part of the last decade. The country was experiencing a medal drought after the retirement of the likes of Susanthika Jayasinghe, Damayanthi Dharsha and Sriyani Kulawansa. With the country experiencing a dearth of medals in sprint events at international events, coaches were starting to focus on middle distance events for success at regional events when Sujith Abeysekara unearthed a gem of an athlete from Sooriyawewa. First trained for endurance events, Liyanarachchi’s initial success came in the 3,000 metres steeplechase, a discipline not many female athletes were willing to persevere a decade ago.

The event was not even a fixture in the regional South Asian Games. The highest a steeplechaser could achieve was the national title. It was on this back drop that Liyanarachchi took it upon herself to make the event one of the look forward to events. She breathed the event a new life in 2008 when she slashed nearly 30 seconds off the then National record to hog limelight. Former national record holder C.G.K. Abeyratne and Eranga Dulakshi entered the fray as the national record changed hands during the next few years. In 2011 she became the first Sri Lankan woman to run the 3,000 metres under 11 minutes as she clocked 10:44.92 seconds to create a new national mark. By the time she gave up the discipline to concentrate on 800 metres, the 3,000 metres steeplechase national record had improved by more than one minute. Incidentally, Nilani Ratnayake who missed the Tokyo Olympic qualifying mark by the thinnest of margins recently had entered the arena by that time.

Of all disciplines, Liyanarachchi’s best achievements have come in the 800 metres, 1,500 metres and the 4×400 metres relays, though she has also competed in the 5,000 metres and the 400 metres hurdles with moderate success. In fact Liyanarachchi is the current national record holder of the 1,500 metres and the 4×400 metres relay (2019 Asian Championship). Liyanarachchi hinted that she was one of the country’s top international medal prospects when she broke Dhammika Menike’s more than two decades old national record in 2016 though she did not get due recognition for it then. The record lasted just one year before fellow athlete Gayanthika Abeyratne claimed it after a close duel with her.

Liyanarachchi has South Asian Games (2016) and Asian Athletics Championship (2017) golds against her name for prowess in the 800 metres. By March this year she was the third ranked Asian in her discipline and was ranked among the top 60 athletes in the world in the ‘Road to Olympics’ rankings. That was despite missing competitions in 2020. She was injured in a road accident on the eve of the team’s departure for the South Asian Games in 2019. After spending months in rehabilitation she returned to competition later in 2020 and had earned a top ranking in Asia by March this year. However Olympics is a different story. She is not among the best in the world to have hopes of a final berth. A good performance in a semi final, a feat closer to the national record could be expected..

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Sports

LPL resumes in Dambulla

Published

2 hours ago

2026/07/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

International stars continue to enhance the appeal of the Lanka Premier League, with former Pakistan captain and premier fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, representing Kandy Royals, among the tournament’s biggest attractions.

After a weekend of entertaining cricket in Colombo, the Lanka Premier League movesd to Dambulla, where another exciting phase of the tournament awaits. The North Central town will host nine matches, including double-headers over the weekend. The competition will then shift to Kandy before returning to Colombo for the business end, with R. Premadasa Stadium staging the playoffs and the final.

There were no clear frontrunners during the SSC leg of the competition, although Galle Gallants strengthened their position by winning both their matches. They remain the only unbeaten side after the opening round. At the other end of the table, Kandy Royals have work to do after losing both their games. Dambulla Sixers, Colombo Kaps and Jaffna Kings have each won one match and lost one.

Among the local players, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Janith Liyanage have been the standout performers with the bat. South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks and Australians Sam Harper and Ben McDermott have also produced impressive knocks. With the ball, Eshan Malinga, Akif Javed and Binura Fernando have led the way with a string of eye-catching performances.

The resurgence of Charith Asalanka augurs well for Sri Lankan cricket. The left-hander, who captained the national T20 side before being removed just ahead of the World Cup and subsequently lost his place in the team, has reminded everyone of the talent that made him one of the country’s brightest prospects.

More broadly, the tournament continues to serve Sri Lankan cricket well. While it provides players with a lucrative earning opportunity, it also prepares them for the demands of international cricket and offers selectors an ideal platform to assess emerging talent. Equally important, it gives out-of-form players the opportunity to rebuild confidence and revive their careers.

Sharing a dressing room with established international stars such as Shaheen Afridi, James Neesham, Gulbadin Naib, Rassie van der Dussen, Mohammad Nawaz, David Wiese and Moeen Ali can only accelerate the development of the younger local players.

The LPL was launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and although the tournament has experienced interruptions, largely due to franchise ownership changes, it has continued to make steady progress, attracting several high-profile players and coaches. There are ambitious plans to expand the competition to six teams once greater continuity and stability are assured. The tournament is overseen by SSC stalwart Samantha Dodanwala.

Sports

Yupun cites lack of professionalism in athletics for premature retirement

Published

2 hours ago

2026/07/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

Yupun Abeykoon

History-making sprinter Yupun Abeykoon announced his retirement from competitive athletics at a hastily arranged press briefing on Tuesday, bringing the curtain down on a remarkable career in which his personal-best performance transcended medals, becoming a landmark achievement that inspired not only Sri Lanka but the entire region.

‎Yupun Abeykoon’s greatest achievement was becoming the first Sri Lankan and the first South Asian to run sub ten seconds in track and field’s marquee discipline.

‎The 31-year-old said that he leaves the sport having fulfilled his dream while citing the absence of a proper system to reward athletes for winning medals as one of the key reasons behind his decision to retire from competitive athletics.

‎At the time of his retirement his 9.96 feat remains the fifth fastest performance in history in the entire Asian region and he is one of only 11 in the entire Asian region to have accomplished the sub ten seconds mark in 100 metres.

‎Ironically, the announcement of his retirement comes just couple of days ahead of the start of the Commonwealth Games.

‎The sprinter’s greatest championship achievement came at the last edition of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he won the bronze medal in the men’s 100 metres, ending Sri Lanka’s long wait for a sprint medal at a major multi-sport event. He also represented Sri Lanka at the Tokyo Olympic Games, becoming the country’s lone male track athlete and the first South Asian male sprinter to compete in the Olympic 100m in many year.

‎Abeykoon leaves an indelible mark as the first South Asian athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the men’s 100 metres. On 3 July 2022, he stunned the athletics world by clocking 9.96 seconds at the Résisprint International meet in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, rewriting history for Sri Lanka and the entire South Asian region. He also established national records in the 100m (9.96s), 200m (20.37s) and indoor 60m, while setting the Asian 150m record of 15.16 seconds.

‎Having trained in Italy under coach Claudio Licciardello, Abeykoon transformed himself into one of Asia’s fastest men and became a regular competitor on the European circuit, including Diamond League meetings. His success inspired Sri Lankan sprinters and demonstrated that athletes from the region could compete with the world’s elite.

‎During the press conferance held online, Abeykoon thanked his parformer schools, the SLEME the regiment in Sri Lanka Army he represented, Palitha Fernando, the former president of Sri Lanka Athletics and Sri Lanka Cricket among others, his coaching team in Italy and the millions of Sri Lankans who supported him throughout his journey.

‎While expressing pride in his accomplishments, he also indicated that his retirement was not an easy decision and suggested that broader issues, specially lack of professionalism within Sri Lankan athletics had contributed to his choice.

‎Although his competitive career has come to an end, Yupun Abeykoon’s legacy is secure. As the fastest man Sri Lanka has ever produced and the first South Asian to run under 10 seconds, he redefined the limits of sprinting in the region and inspired countless young athletes to dream beyond perceived barriers. His achievements will remain a benchmark in Sri Lankan athletics for generations to come.

by Reemus Fernando

Sports

Abans Group defeat Commercial Bank by three wickets

Published

2 hours ago

2026/07/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

HONOUR –MCA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2026

Abans Group defeated Commercial Bank by three wickets and registered their first win in the Honour – MCA Champions League 2026 cricket tournament played at the MCA ground on Sunday.

Electing to bat first, Commercial Bank were restricted to 135 by the Abans group bowlers led by Kaveesha Dulanjana [3-28] and Mihiranga Fernando with figures of [7-2-08-1] after which in the chase, Tharusha Fernando was unbeaten on 36 while Dilshan de Zoysa, Akeel Inham and Kavishka Gihan had 20 plus scores against their names to reach the win need with three wickets in hand in the 32nd over.

SCORES:

Commercial Bank

135/10 in 45.2 overs [Lasith Nanayakkara 21; Kaveesha Dulanjana 3-28, Mihiranga Fernando 1-08]

Abans Group

137/7 in 31.4 overs [Tharusha Fernando 36*; Dushean Gamage 3-25, Pasindu Denipitiya 3-40]