Lekamge to fight for Olympic berth in China

by Reemus Fernando

Asian Games medallist Dilhani Lekamge is set to compete at the 2nd Belt and Road Athletics Invitation meeting, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze Label event to be held in Chogqing, China from May 27-29.It will be her first international competition since taking part in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last year.

The javelin thrower trained by Pradeep Nishantha was set leave the island on Friday(24) with sprinter Aruna Dharshana for the championship in China where she will be attempting to maintain or improve her current position in the ‘Road to Paris 24’ Olympic rankings.

Currently she is ranked 30th in the ‘Road to Paris 24’ rankings. The Paris Olympics has 32 slots for the women’s javelin. Of them six are selected based on qualifying standard which is 64 metres. Rest of the 26 positions will be filled according to ranking positions.

Hiruka Kitaguchi of Japan is the current leader for her 67.38 metres throw in September last year. Colombia’s Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado (66.70m), Austria’s Victoria Hudson (66.06m), Latvia’s L?na Muze Sirma (64.78m), Australia’s Mackenzie Little (64.50m) and the US thrower Maggie Malone Hardin (64.04m) are the others who are leading the list.

Lekamge, who has a personal best of 61.57 metres which won her the silver medal at the Asian Games is yet to break the 60 metres barrier this year. The Indian Anu Rani (gold) and China’s Huihui Lyu (bronze) who shared the podium with Lekamge at the last Asian Games have already cleared 60 metres barrier multiple times this year.

In her first major competition this year Lekamge threw a distance of 54.38 metres at the Army Athletics Championship. With the fight for Olympic berth intensifying during the next few weeks she will be aiming for a big performance to keep alive her chances of retaining her current position in the ‘Road to Paris 24’ rankings.

The veteran thrower has competed at every major multi sports event except the Olympics. The eight-times national champion also has two Asian Championship medals against her name and was in the top eight at the Commonwealth Games.