Sports
Selection Trial solace for competition-starved athletes
by Reemus Fernando
Sri Lanka’s top track and field athletes will find solace in the opportunity to compete at the first Selection Trial starting at the Sugathadasa Stadium today in the absence of international competitions.
The cancelation of the Asian Athletics Championship which was scheduled for May was a severe blow to local athletes striving to achieve entry standards for the postponed Tokyo Olympics. Going abroad for other available regional international competitions has also become difficult due to Covid 19 health restrictions.
The Sri Lanka Athletics has also decided not to send a team for the World Athletics Relays, one of the major international competitions, despite interest shown by the organisers. On this backdrop local athletes will take the opportunity to measure their progress at the first competition of the year.
The Selection Trial will be a launching pad for athletes targeting peak performances at the National Championship which will be held ahead of Olympics.
It will also be an opportunity to earn ranking points and get closer to qualifying standards for Olympics.
Sri Lanka Athletics is also conducting trials for selected number of junior events providing much needed competition exposure for school athletes who have been without national level competitions for more than a year now. Forming a junior pool is also on the cards.
Men’s and women’s 100m metres and 400 metres are the top track attractions on the first day of the three-day competition. While men’s javelin throw and men’s and women’s long jump are the top field events scheduled for the opening day.
The 400 metres sprinters Kalinga Kumarage and Aruna Dharshana, 100 metres specialists Himasha Eshan, Chanuka Sandeepa and Vinoj Suranjaya are all listed to take starters orders.
In the women’s category Nadeesha Ramanayake and Dilshi Kumarasinghe are expected to blaze the track in the 400 metres. Amasha de Silva who produced an outstanding performance at the last National Championship is expected to meet stiff competition from Shelinda Jansen and former champion Rumeshika Ratnayake in the women’s 100 metres.
In field events, men’s javelin throw is set to witness a close competition with Olympian Sumeda Ranasinghe competing against former national record holder Waruna Dayaratne. Both will be eager to improve on their rankings.
An interesting battle looms between Sarangi Silva and Anjani Pulwansa in the women’s long jump. Both cleared the six metres barrier few months ago.
Shreshan Dananjaya was the winner of the men’s long jump at the last Nationals. He will be up against a host of others including former national champion Janaka Prasad Wimalasiri who is making a return.
Athletics enthusiasts will also be eager to witness the performances of steeplechase athlete Nilani Ratnayake, who has almost secured her ticket to Tokyo. She is expected compete in both the steeplechase and the 1,500 metres.
[Cricbuzz]
Former Sri Lanka head coach Mickey Arthur has voiced disappointment over remarks made by Chairman of Selectors Pramodya Wickramasinghe, who last week claimed that Arthur was reluctant to include a young Pathum Nissanka during Sri Lanka’s tour of the Caribbean in 2021.
In his first media briefing, Wickramasinghe said it was he who pushed for Nissanka’s inclusion despite Arthur’s reservations. The former coach has flatly denied the allegation, calling it wide of the mark.
“I am very disappointed with Pramodya’s comments,” Arthur told Telecom Asia Sport. “The right people know exactly how I felt about Pathum. There was never any doubt that he was our future. I don’t want any credit for Pathum’s success. That belongs entirely to his hard work. I simply gave him an opportunity because the talent was impossible to ignore.”
Arthur said Nissanka’s domestic form had left little room for debate. “He was scoring runs for fun and the sheer weight of them made it impossible not to take a look. Once he joined the squad on tour, his attitude and work ethic were truly remarkable. From that moment, there was no doubt this bloke was going places,” Arthur added.
Even before Nissanka’s elevation to the senior side, Arthur had publicly spoken of his admiration for young prospects such as Nissanka and Charith Asalanka, stressing the importance of giving emerging players a long rope. His view was simple: once talent is identified and the attitude checks out, selectors and team management must back those players through thick and thin.
Arthur arrived in Sri Lanka with a formidable résumé, having coached South Africa, Australia and Pakistan. He placed a premium on fitness and fielding and under his watch a team in transition began to show signs of turning the corner. At the end of his tenure, Arthur opted not to renew his contract and instead took up a stint in English county cricket with Derbyshire.
As for Nissanka, he has scarcely put a foot wrong since breaking into the side. There was a Test hundred on debut in the West Indies, followed last year by a match-winning unbeaten century against England at The Oval on a lively seaming pitch. In between, he made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan to score a double hundred in ODIs. Last week, he was snapped up by Delhi Capitals at the IPL auction.
Nissanka is currently ranked third in T20 internationals and is knocking on the door of the top ten in both Tests and ODIs.
73rd National Badminton Championship
Defending champions Viren Nettasinghe and Ranithma Liyanage made a fitting end to their campaigns of the 2025 season, by defending the Men’s and Women’s Open Singles titles as Varangana Jayawardana and Rashmi Mudalige clinched the Women’s Open Doubles title at the 73rd National Badminton Championship, concluded at the S. Thomas’ College Indoor Sports Complex, Mount Lavinia on Wednesday (24).
Viren clinically overcame each of his opponents from the Round of 32, all in straight sets, to reach the final. The country’s top Men’s Singles shuttler continued his form against Rasindu Hendahewa in the final, winning in straight sets to defend the title. Viren defeated Rasindu 21-10 and 21-14 to win his second national title in style.
Ranithma aptly defended her Women’s Open Singles title by recording a comfortable straight sets win against Rashmi Mudalige in an absorbing final that lasted nearly 45 minutes. Though the title decider stretched way longer than anticipated, Ranithma managed to seal the victory by recording set wins of 21-12 and 21-18 to claim the national title for the second year running.
Fourth seed pair Sanuda Ariyasinghe and Thisath Rupathunga created an upset by toppling top seeds Oshamika Karunarathne and Thulith Palliyaguru in a lengthy final that went down to the wire in the Men’s Open Doubles. Sanuda and Thisath won the first set 21-15, but the top pair bounced back to level the game one-all with a 21-18 win. But the gritty pair of Sanuda and Thisath maintained their composure to overcome the favourites 21-15 in the decider and claim the Men’s Open Doubles title.
Varangana Jayawardana and Rashmi Mudalige completed a successful campaign to defend the Women’s Open Doubles title from last year, this time overcoming the aspiring pair of Dilni Ambalangodage and Ranumi Manage in straight sets. Varangana and Rashmi remained unbeaten throughout, as they ended the unblemished run of Dilni and Ranumi with set wins of 21-13 and 21-18.
The Mixed Open Doubles title was claimed by Thulith Palliyaguru and Panchali Adhikari, who battled for 45 minutes to overcome Aashinsa Herath and Rashmi Mudalige 2-1 in the final. After conceding the first set by 12-21, Thulith and Panchali regrouped to claim the next two sets 21-18 and 21-15.
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