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Sri Lanka rally around Aruna and Tharushi for medal success  

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Asian Athletics Championships

by Reemus Fernando  

 When the last Asian Athletics Championships was held in Doha four years ago Sri Lanka won a bronze in the women’s triple jump. Four years after that solitary medal achievement the country will be aiming for medals of different colour as it fields a 13 strong contingent including a couple of top ranked Asian athletes for the premier regional track and field event starting in Bangkok, Thailand on July 12.

The five-day event will feature some of the athletes who first excelled at the junior version of the event in 2018 and the 2023 edition held last month. Despite emerging as a bright prospect at the Asian Junior Championships in 2018, Aruna Dharshana could not compete at the senior Asian Championships held in 2019.But today he is the top medal prospect in the men’s category for Sri Lanka. He will compete in the 400metres and is expected to play a lead role in both the men’s 4x400metres and the 4×400 metres mixed relay.

His recent personal best performance of 45.49 seconds is the eighth fastest time in Asia this season and his coach Asanka Rajakaruna believes that the athlete hailing from Seruwila has enough energy in store to strive for success. In the men’s category Dharshana is joined by Rajitha Rajakaruna in the 400 metres as the selectors picked the latter ahead of second ranked Sri Lankan (in 400m) Kalinga Kumarage for the individual event on merit.

Kumarage too reached his personal best last month. In the quartet of Dharshana, Rajakaruna, Kumarage and Pabasara Niku, Sri Lanka has history’s fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh fastest athletes in the 400 metres. Sugath Thilakaratne, Rohan Pradeep Kumara and Prasanna Amarasekara are the only other Sri Lankans to have run faster than them.

Analysts believe that country’s best chances of medals in the men’s category are in the 4×400 metres as the top four have an average around 46 seconds. While Japan will be the top favourites in the 4×400 metres, Sri Lanka are expected to brush shoulders against Japanese, Indian and Saudi Arab sprinters for top honours in that event.

The 4×400 metres mixed relay presents a huge opportunity for Sri Lanka to make a strong bid for a medal as Tharushi Karunaratne and Nadeesha Ramanayake are in top form in the 400 metres.

Sri Lanka once won the gold and silver medals in the women’s 800 metres at these championships. The team has a strong chance of repeating the 2017 feat of Nimali Liyanarachchi and Gayanthika Abeyratne in Bangkok as Tharushi Karunaratne and Gayanthika Abeyratne are in top form.

They are the top two athletes in Asia this year after the duo produced a performance closer to breaking the veteran’s national record in March this year. Karunaratne is fresh from winning three medals at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships and will be eager to repeat the feat at the senior version of the meet. She is the only school athlete taking part.

Karunaratne will compete in the 800metres and the 400 metres and is expected to anchor the women’s 4×400 metres as well. Lakshima Mendis and Nishendra Fernando are the others joining Karunaratne and Ramanayake in the relay. Dilhani Lekamge will have a tough ask in the women’s javelin when she strives for her personal best against throwers from China, Japan and India. Sarangi Silva and Randi Cooray too will be eager to deliver their best in the women’s long jump and triple jump respectively.

 



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Woods charged with driving under influence after crash

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iger Woods was fortunate to escape with his life from this 2021 crash near Los Angeles [BBC]

Tiger Woods has been charged with driving under the influence after rolling his car in a crash in Florida, police have confirmed.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said the 15-time major champion was also charged with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

Woods, 50, rolled his Land Rover after clipping a pressure cleaner truck while trying to overtake it at “a high rate of speed”, according to Sheriff John Budensiek.

The golfer, who had to crawl out of the passenger door of his vehicle, passed a breathalyser test after the crash but refused a urine test.

No-one sustained any injuries in the incident which took place on Beach Road in Jupiter Island just before 14:00 local time on Friday (about 19:00 GMT).

Sheriff Budensiek told a news conference: “The DUI investigators came to the scene and Mr Woods did exemplify signs of impairment.

“They did several tests on him. He did explain the injuries and surgeries that he’s had and we did take that into account, but they did some in-depth roadside tests.

“When it was determined, he was placed under arrest and taken to the Martin County jail.

“At the Martin County jail, and even on scene, we were really not suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case and that proved to be true.

“Mr Woods did a breathalyser test with triple zeros, but when it came time for us to ask for a urinary analysis test, he refused.”

Budensiek also said Woods had been “co-operative but was trying not to incriminate himself”.

“He has a right to refuse that test,” added the sheriff. “There is a statute which he will be charged with for refusing to take that test, but we will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash.”

US president Donald Trump was asked about the crash on Friday, saying: “I feel so badly. [Woods has] got some difficulty. There was an accident. That’s all I know.

“He’s a very close friend of mine, he’s an amazing person, an amazing man.”

Sheriff Budensiek said Woods would remain in jail for eight hours then be released on bond. The charges are misdemeanours, not felonies.

The BBC has contacted the golfer’s representatives for comment.

This is not the first time Woods has been involved in a car accident – he has played a limited schedule since the serious crash in 2021 that left him with extensive injuries and fortunate to be alive.

In 2017 police officers also found him slumped at the wheel of his parked Mercedes-Benz not far from his Florida home.

A toxicology report found Woods had several legal medications in his system and marijuana’s active ingredient, and he was sentenced to a year’s probation after pleading guilty to reckless driving.

In 2009 Woods hit a fire hydrant, a tree, and several hedges in a bizarre collision outside his home.

The incident sparked accusations of extramarital affairs which led to the end of his seven-year marriage and the loss of lucrative sponsorship deals.

[BBC]

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Sri Sumangala cruise to semis after Kumarasiri heroics

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Sri Sumangala College, Panadura secured a convincing five-wicket victory over Sri Dharmaloka College, Kelaniya in their Under-19 Division I Tier ‘B’ cricket quarter-final at Kuruvita on Friday, sealing a place in the semi-finals with two sessions to spare.

‎All-rounder Mevindu Kumarasiri played a decisive role in the win, following up his outstanding bowling performance with a vital knock of 44 runs to guide his team to the target of 157.

‎Sri Sumangala’s run chase was anchored by Kumarasiri and Neksha Iddamalgoda, who shared a crucial 85-run partnership for the fourth wicket after the early setbacks. The stand effectively put the Panadura side on course for victory.

‎Kumarasiri’s brisk 44 came at just under a run-a-ball and included five boundaries, while Iddamalgoda top-scored with 49, striking seven fours in a fluent innings. Although both batsmen were dismissed before the target was reached, their partnership had already taken the sting out of the chase.

‎Bihanga Silva and Sadika Damyuru then completed the formalities, steering Sri Sumangala past the target to wrap up an impressive victory.

‎The win was particularly remarkable considering Sri Sumangala had been bowled out for 144 in their first innings. However, Kumarasiri turned the game dramatically in their favour with a superb six-wicket haul that dismantled Sri Dharmaloka for just 89 in the second innings.

‎His match-winning all-round performance proved to be the turning point as Sri

Sumangala capitalised on the opportunity to book their place in the tournament’s semi-finals.

‎Scores

‎Sri Dharmaloka 211 all out in 76.3 overs

(Kaveen Deneth 106, Senuka Pehesara 29, Koshitha Adithya 19; Mevindu Kumarasiri 5/82) and 89 all out in 35 overs (Tharusha Mihiranga 24; Mevindu Kumarasiri 6/41, Methum Fernando 4/42)

‎Sri Sumangala 144 all out in 48.4 overs

(Neksha Iddamalgoda 47, Bihanga Silva 36, Mavindu Kumarasiri 21; Tishan Nipun 4/43, Sathindu Prabhoda 3/44, Koshitha Adithya 2/27) and 160 for 5 in 34.3 overs (Vidura Basuru 33, Sandeep Wijerathna 19, Neksha Iddamalgoda 49, Mevindu Kumarasiri 44; Koshitha Adithya 4/64) (RF)

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PSL 2026: Teams allowed to submit two XIs and pick one after toss

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Hyderabad Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne warms up [PSL]

Shaheen Shah Afridi and Marnus Labuschagne, captains of Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen, walked out with two team sheets each for the toss ahead of the opening matchof PSL 2026 and selected their final XIs based on which way the coin fell.

This was in accordance with a new regulation in the PSL playing conditions, which permits the captains to submit two team sheets to the match referee before the toss and finalise one of the submitted line-ups after the toss.

The clause 1.2.1 in the “Nomination and Replacement of Players” section reads: “Before the toss, each captain may submit two (2) different XI lineups in writing to the PSL Match Referee. Each lineup must include 11 players and a maximum of 4 substitute fielders (subject to Clause 1.2.5). After the toss, each captain must finalise one of the two submitted lineups by signing the selected team sheet. Once the final lineup has been nominated, no player listed in the selected playing eleven may be changed before the start of the match without the consent of the opposing captain.”

Tosses can play a significant role in this part of the world in night matches as a result of dew. The ball often gets wet and difficult to grip for the spinners, making them ineffective in the second innings. This change in the playing conditions is expected to provide a level playing field – a team batting first can add a fast bowler instead of a spinner while a team batting second can look to add depth to their batting.

There were no signs of dew in the first match of the season however because of the wind throughout the day and cloud cover.

[Cricinfo]

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