98th National Athletics Championship- Day II

by Reemus Fernando

Former Ratnayake Central, Walala athlete Dilshi Kumarasinghe proved beyond doubt that she has come of age to take on the mantle of her senior counterparts when she edged out the reigning champion and national record holder in winning the women’s 800 metres title on day two of the 98th National Athletics Championship in Colombo on Sunday.

On a day which witnessed several other reigning champions being ousted, Kumarasinghe came almost close to lowering the national record held by Gayanthika Abeyratne as she stopped the clock at 2:02.80 seconds, just 25 milliseconds shy of the 2017 record. .

The Sri Lanka Army athlete, who was earmarked by her coach Susantha Fernando as an Olympic prospect even before she had first tasted regional international success, beat the formidable duo in the last two hundred metres.

Defending champion Nimali Liyanarachchi and national record holder Abeyratne settled for second and third place respectively.

With her victory she also proved that the last South Asian Games gold victory in the absence of Liyanarachchi was not a fluke. Incidentally Kumarasinghe was filling the shoes of her senior counterpart at the regional Games in Nepal last year. Liyanarachchi missed the SA Games after meeting with an accident on the eve of the team’s departure.

In a similar scenario Rusiru Chathuranga beat the field in his trademark sprint finish forcing defending champion and national record holder Indunil Herath to abandon the race in the last 150 metres. It was Herath who set the early pace but Chathuranga emerged victorious clocking 1:49.82 seconds.

Earlier on, Olympic hopeful Nilani Ratnayake abandoned the women’s 5,000 metres with two laps remaining in the race. The winner of the steeplechase on day one, Ratnayake was going at a near record pace early but going in to the last four laps she showed signs of difficulties and ended her fight during the crucial stage clearing Nilanthi Lanka Ariyadasa an easy passage to victory. Ariyadasa returned a time of 17:13.24 seconds.

The Saturday’s men’s 5000 metres winner R.M.S. Pushpakumara was beaten for the first time in more than a decade in the men’s steeplechase when Eranda Bandara Herath piped him to the second place in the last lap.

Hurdler Ireshani Rajasinghe got the better of defending champion and South Asian Games gold medallist Lakshika Sugandi as she returned a time of 13.85 seconds to win the 100 metres hurdles. Sugandi clocked 13.89 seconds. Rajasinghe was the bronze medallist at the last SA Games.

In the men’s 110 metres hurdles Roshan Dhammika clocked 14.33 seconds to win the gold.

In a notable field event feat, Sachini Kaushalya established a new national record clearing 3.56 metres to win the pole vault. She improved Aniththa Jegatheeswaran’s 2018 mark by one centimeter.

M.P. Perera (women’s discus- 38.69 metres), S.M.M. Madushani (women’s high jump- 1.60m), Z.T.M. Aazic (men’s discus- 44.78m) and Lakshini Dissanayaka (heptathlon- 3526) were the winners of other events held on Sunday.