Sports
Sri Lanka win five medals at Asian Youth Athletics Championship
by Reemus Fernando
Wickramabahu National School, Gampola athlete Nirmali Wickramasinghe won the silver medal in the girls’ 800 metres as Sri Lanka’s medal count increased to five at the Asian Youth Athletics Championships in Kuwait. Wickramasinghe clocked 2:15.42 seconds to clinch the silver behind India’s Ashakiran Barla, who returned a time of 2:06.79 seconds to claim the gold. Despite the country’s best medal hopeful Madushani Herath failing to win a medal in the girls’ long jump, Sri Lanka youth team were enjoying the highest medal count in this four-editions-old Championships as five athletes clinched medals in Kuwait.
Lyceum International, Panadura athlete Razwin Carrim was competing in the long jump when this edition went to press in the evening yesterday, the last day of the meet. Of the other seven athletes who competed during the first three days, five accounted for five medals. Thurstan College sprinter Salamuthu Jayathilaka and Sir John Kothalawala College, Kurunegala athlete Theminda Rajapaksa opened the medal hunt clinching the silver and bronze respectively in the boys’ 400 metres on Friday. Jayathilaka clocked 48.58 seconds to finish second, while Rajapaksa returned a time of 48.70 seconds for his bronze.
In the boys’ high jump, where the winner scaled a height of 2.21 metres, the Sri Lankan duo settled for the silver and bronze. Bodagama M.V., Thanamalwila athlete Deneth Anuhas cleared a height of 2.01 metres for his silver. D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo athlete Lesandu Arthavidu cleared a height of 1.97 metres for his bronze. Of the ten athletes who competed only the first three cleared the 1.97 metres mark. The four-day championship which was scheduled to culminate yesterday was originally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
When Sri Lanka competed in the debut championships in Doha the country won four medals including a gold. That remained the highest medal count until this edition as Sri Lanka won only two (2017- 1-silver, 1-bronze) and three (2019- 2- silver, 1-bronze) medals respectively in the next two editions.
The final week of the year is like a Roman feast for the Test cricket fan, and Boxing Day this year promises mouth-watering contests in Melbourne and Centurion but look this way too, will you? Bulawayo is set to host Zimbabwe’s first Boxing Day Test 8n 28 years too, and with unpredictable Afghanistan on the other side, a real tussle is expected between the two teams, who despite their recent underwhelming performances, would feel like they’re favourites. After all, the last time either side won a Test was against each other.
But that was way back 8n 2021. Since then, they have not found a way to win. And one look at the Zimbabwe and Afghanistan squads for this two-Test series suggests that they’re both looking to change that by taking a different direction for 2025 and beyond. A splattering of Test debutants are expected – theoretically, there could be as many 15 debuts across the two XIs – and this series could very well be the one that births a new generation.
Under 19 Cricket
by Reemus Fernando
Mahinda College, Galle took firm control of their two-day Under 19 Division I Tier ‘B’ cricket encounter as they reached 213 for nine wickets at stumps after restricting Moratu Vidyalaya to 96 runs at Galle on Wednesday.
After Arosha Udayanga grabbed five wickets to trouble the visitors, the home team topped 200 runs thanks to a century by open batsman Dulsith Darshana and a half century by Senuka Dangamuwa.
While Darshana scored 13 fours and a six in his 106 which came in 143 balls, Dangamuwa hammered nine fours and a six in his 50 which came in 51 balls.
Mahinda are in search of their first outright victory in the tournament proper after having earned first innings points in two out of the three matches in their group.
Moratu Vidyalaya too have completed three matches and have scored first innings points on one occasion.
Scores
Moratu Vidyalaya
96 all out in 45.2 overs (Sanjana Senavirathna 31, Shehara Fernando 20; Arosha Udayanga 5/35)
Mahinda
213 for 9 in 52 overs (Dulsith Darshana 106, Senuka Dangamuwa 50; Isuru Nidharshana 2/64, Nishitha Fernando 5/45)
by Reemus Fernando
Sri Lanka Athletics has suspended track and field official S. W. Nimalsiri for four years after a three member committee appointed by the sports governing body found him guilty of manhandling leading athletic official G.L.S. Perera within the Sri Lanka Athletics premises in Torrington.
“The executive committee of Sri Lanka Athletics decided to hand Nimalsiri a four year suspension after the three member committee concluded that he was guilty of manhandling the respected official,” Saman Kumara Gunawardhana, the secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics told The Island.
At the time of the suspension Nimalairi was a committee member of Sri Lanka Athletics and is the president of the Ace Athletics Club and secretary of the Colombo District Athletics Association.
The three member committee that inquired the incident involving Nimalairi and Perera was headed by retired district court judge Upali Samaraweera. Others in the committee were former director of sports Padma Siriwardana and disciplinary committee chairman of Sri Lanka Athletics Chandana Ekanayake.
Nimalsiri has also been suspended from officiating in track and field competitions.
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