Sumedha, Chamal make further gains in ‘Road to Oregon 2022’ rankings 

by Reemus Fernando  

Javelin thrower Sumedha Ranasinghe and triple jumper Chamal Kumarasiri have given Sri Lanka’s track and field fraternity something to celebrate after they made notable gains in the World Athletics ‘Road to Oregon 2022’ rankings.

Their notable performances at the centenary National Athletics Championships have given them rich dividends.

Ranasinghe has further improved his position to be in the 20th quota position making him the most eligible male athlete from Sri Lanka for the World Championship on current standings.

The ‘Road to Oregon 2022’ rankings determines the participants’ eligibility for the World Athletics Championships which will be held from July 15 to 24 in Oregon, USA.  While only 32 athletes are selected for men’s javelin, the first 11 spots are filled by athletes who reach the tough qualifying standard of 85 metres. The other 21 places are allocated according to the rankings in the ‘Road to Oregon 2022’

Ranasinghe has advanced eight positions up after the World Athletics recognized his performance at last month’s National Athletics Championships. Last week, the athlete trained by Pradeep Nishantha was in the 28th position in the ‘Road to Oregon 2022’ ranking based on his performance in March.

He threw a distance of 82.18 metres at the centenary National Championships and as expected the 31-year-old has gained much-needed points to be in contention to represent Sri Lanka at the biennial event. He has to maintain that position until June 26, the deadline for qualification.

So far Ranasinghe is the only athlete in the men’s category to have secured a position within the required quota places in the ‘Road to Oregon 2022’ rankings.

In the women’s category, steeplechase athlete Nilani Ratnayake is the only contender. She is ranked 30th in that list.

Triple jumper Kumarasiri who cleared a notable distance of 16.40 metres at the National Championship has secured the 38th position in the ‘Road to Oregon 2022’ ranking list. However, he has to climb at least six places up to be eligible for qualification. With no other top-grade competition available for local athletes here, he will find it a difficult target to accomplish.

The US based high jumper Ushan Thiwanka and Italy based sprinter Yupun Abeykoon have improved their world ranking positions but are yet to secure a place in the ‘Road to Oregon 2022’ rankings.