Sports
Amarasinghe, Yakoob eye glory in Thailand
Among many sports Sri Lankans have made their international appearances, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is not something the local fans are that much familiar with.
However, two Sri Lankan fighting sensations, Malinda ‘Boyka’ Amarasinghe and Ajmal ‘Yaka’ Yakoob are set to make history when they take to the ring in Bangkok, Thailand today at the Thailand Fighting Championship (TFC 5).
Amarasinghe, who hails from Kurunegala, will take on the former ONE Championship fighter Rockie Bactol in the feature event of the competition which includes a card of five fights, including the showdown between Yakoob and seasoned campaigner Simon Stracey.
The two fighters have won a number of events locally, including national championships in multiple combat sport disciplines. Amarasinghe is a national level gold medallist in Wushu and full contact karateka while Yakoob trained in Dubai under top coaches and fighters in the game. Yakoob is also a winner at the Muay Thai Asian Games selection tournament in 2018.
Familiar rivals in the past, but friends at present, both Amarasinghe and Yakoob are determined to excel in their respective fights despite the tough status of their opponents.
Hailing from the Philippines, Bactol is riding high on a two-fight winning streak and will be looking to continue the same when he steps into the main event of TFC 5. Fighting out of Fight Soul, Amarasinghe, on the other hand, has the opportunity to produce a huge upset and fly the Sri Lankan flag high at the Asian MMA circuit for the very first time.
“My opponent Bactol is a former ONE champion and they are way ahead of us when it comes to experience and standards. Our fight is also the feature event in TFC 5 and I am honoured to take part in the main event of such a big event which has a huge following among martial arts lovers in the region. I am determined to raise the Sri Lanka flag at the event with a win and after that I am also going to take part in the next ONE Championship,” Amarasinghe said.
Yakoob is also determined to bring honour to the country.
“When we go and fight the way we fight matters. It doesn’t matter if you lose or win, but how you fight it matters. Because if we fight bad, that’s not good for the country. So it has to carry the quality. The quality is very important and the standard is very important. Basically, when we fight, when we represent Sri Lanka, then people get to know that there are Sri Lankan MMA fighters. Definitely we will open the door for the other people as well. The new generation who are willing to come and fight and compete. So I’ll be fighting in more events and I will be fighting at the ONE Championship as well, very soon,” Yakoob said prior to their departure for Thailand.
With just one round left in the group stage, Dambulla hit the top of the National Super League (NSL) table like a runaway train, pulling off a breathtaking run chase that left Kandy shell-shocked at the R. Premadasa Stadium. In a high-octane encounter that had lot of twists, Dambulla played out of their skins to snatch victory from the jaws of what looked like certain defeat.
Chasing a towering 392 in just 69 overs, the Dambulla batters threw caution to the wind and came out swinging. They crossed the finish line with 25 balls to spare, making the improbable seem routine.
At the top of the order, Nishan Madushka dropped anchor and played the sheet anchor role to perfection, compiling a masterful 126 off 153 balls. He stitched together a solid 136-run opening stand with Ron Chandraguptha, who chipped in with a stylish 64, laying the perfect foundation for the fireworks to follow.
But the real show-stopper was none other than Dasun Shanaka. Despite being courted by a slew of T20 leagues flashing big bucks, Shanaka stayed loyal to red-ball cricket — and he makes it count. He walked in with the scoreboard ticking and turned the game on its head with a whirlwind century off just 56 deliveries. It was a blitzkrieg that featured nine sizzling boundaries and six towering sixes. When Shanaka’s in the zone, bowlers might as well be bowling with a bar of soap.
From 286 for 1, Dambulla had a minor hiccup, losing quick wickets and stumbling to 326 for 5. But the damage had been done — Shanaka’s thunderous assault had knocked the stuffing out of the Kandy attack. All that remained was for the tail to wag, nudge a few singles, and coast home with room to spare.
Akila Dananjaya, meanwhile, continued to turn heads with a match bag of ten wickets. But while his performance was eye-catching, any talk of a national recall should come with a pinch of salt — his action, having been under the microscope before, will need a clean bill of health before selectors roll the dice.
Down south in Hambantota, Galle all but booked their ticket to the final, thanks to a first-innings win over Jaffna. Unless they somehow manage to shoot themselves in the foot in their last group game, they should be packing their bags for the final.
Ramesh Mendis played the unlikely hero, batting at number eight and top-scoring with a gutsy 124 to take Galle to 374, well past Jaffna’s 305.
Jaffna’s response in the second innings was spirited, with Angelo Mathews rolling back the years and crafting a classy century as they made 354 for five.
Rain played spoil sport with only 6.4 overs possible on day one and a further 55 overs on day two and that left little room for a result.
North Korea has held the Pyongyang International Marathon for the first time in six years, welcoming some 200 foreign runners to the streets of the reclusive country’s capital.
The marathon, which was launched in 1981, took place annually in April to celebrate the birth of its founding leader Kim Il Sung.
Before Sunday’s marathon, the race was last held in 2019, wherein 950 foreigners participated. North Korea sealed itself off the following year, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
North Korea has been slow to reopen since, allowing only Russian tourists into its capital since last year.
Runners have had to enter the country as part of an organised tour group, as was the case before the pandemic.
Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based travel agency listed as an “exclusive partner” on the event website, offers six-day marathon tours at 2,195 euros ($2,406) including flights to and from Beijing.
“The Pyongyang Marathon is an extremely unique experience as it provides an opportunity to interact with locals,” the agency wrote on its website.
Sunday’s marathon route took participants past landmarks across the city, including the Kim Il Sung stadium, the Arch of Triumph built to commemorate Kim Il Sung’s role in resisting Japanese rule, and the Mirae Future Scientists’ Street said to be a residential district for scientists and engineers.
Pictures online show the stadium – where runners start and finish their race – filled with spectators, many of them cheering and waving gold-coloured paper flags.
Pak Kum Dong, a North Korean runner, told Reuters news agency: “The eyes of our people on me helped me to bear the difficulties whenever I feel tired.”
There is no publicly available information on race results.
North Korea had only statred to scale back Covid-19 restrictions in the middle of 2023.
In Feburary, it allowed some Western tourists into the remote, eastern city Rason, but suspended those tours just weeks after.
[BBC]
Noor Ahmad, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-arm wristspinner, continues to head the Purple Cap table with ten wickets from four games. His spell of 4 for 18 in CSK’s first game against MI, remains his best so far.
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