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Yupun has Nationals as a last resort

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Yupun Abeykoon has not competed on Sri Lankan soil in five years.

by Reemus Fernando

Sri Lanka Athletics has kept the door open for sprinter Yupun Abeykoon to compete at the 102nd National Athletics Championships to enable him to gain maximum possible ranking points to qualify for the Olympics.

The Italy based sprinter has entered the ‘Road to Paris 24’ Olympic rankings for the first time at the 87th position following his impressive performances at the Anhalt Athletics Championship last week. He has to clock 10.00 seconds or improve his ranking to be within the top 48 to earn the ticket for the Paris Olympics.

Abeykoon needed five top performances in 2024 to break in to the Olympic rankings as he did not compete last year due to injury.

With just a couple of competitions remaining for him to strive for the Olympic berth in the track and field’s most sought after discipline both enthusiasts and athletics authorities are looking at all possible opportunities.

He has to overtake more than two dozen sprinters ranked above him within the next few weeks if he is to brush shoulders with the world’s best in Paris.

“We have discussed the possibilities for Yupun to compete at the Nationals. If he fails to qualify for Olympics before the National Championship then he has the National Championship to strive for the Olympic ticket,” a top official of Sri Lanka Athletics told ‘The Island’ yesterday.

The National Athletics Championship will be held  on June 25, 26 and 27. Yupun Abeykoon, the fastest man in South Asia and the only sprinter from the region to have clocked sub ten seconds in history in the 100 metres has not competed on Sri Lankan soil in five years.

The athletics authorities are leaving no stone unturned in search of Olympic berths for top athletes.

Asian Games medallist Tharushi Karunaratne, Gayanthika Abeyratne and Nadeesha Ramanayake left for Chinese Taipei yesterday to take part in the Taiwan Open Athletics Championships. They will be joined by Aruna Dharshana and Dilhani Lekamge who competed in China over the weekend. The top athletes seeking Olympic qualifications will compete on June 1 and 2 in Chinese Taipei.

According to Sri Lanka Athletics there will be at least three other overseas competitions for Sri Lankan athletes to fight for Olympics qualifications before the deadline close for qualifying standards on June 30.



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Shammi Silva hits a fourth term as SLC President

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Shammi Silva, re-elected for a fourth term as President of Sri Lanka Cricket, during the AGM held yesterday.

Shammi Silva has once again taken guard at the top of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), securing a fourth consecutive term as President at the Annual General Meeting, held amidst much fanfare at Colombo’s Cinnamon Grand Hotel yesterday.

Already calling the shots as President of the Asian Cricket Council, Silva’s crowning achievement in recent years has been bringing the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup to Sri Lankan shores. The marquee tournament will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India next year, a feather in the cap for the country’s cricket administrators.

Silva’s administration has made a concerted effort to bridge the yawning gap between domestic and international cricket. One of the bold strokes in this innings has been trimming the number of First-Class teams – a move aimed at upping the quality and sharpening the edge of domestic cricket.

SLC Ex-Co also played a straight bat when it comes to developing cricket beyond Colombo’s city limits. High Performance Centres have sprung up across the outstations, rolling out the red carpet for raw talent from the hinterlands, who had previously been left in the pavilion.

The school cricket circuit too has been given a shot in the arm, with infrastructure development and skill enhancement taking centre stage. By strengthening the grassroots, the current administration hopes to widen the talent pool and unearth future stars of the game.

SLC’s balance sheet tells its own story – healthy and in the black. Over the past five years, the board’s financial stability has not only benefited cricket, but has also allowed it to lend a helping hand to other sports disciplines, at the request of the Ministry of Sports.

With over three decades of experience under his belt as a sports administrator, Shammi Silva is the long-serving President of the Colombo Cricket Club (CCC), one of the game’s oldest institutions in the country.

The 64th AGM was largely a case of “same XI, new season,” with only one notable change to the playing field – Secretary Mohan de Silva making way for seasoned campaigner Bandula Dissanayake. No stranger to the inner workings of SLC, Dissanayake has previously chaired the Tournament and Umpires Committees, and brings a wealth of experience to the table.

Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa and former First-Class player Ravin Wickramaratne retained their Vice-President slots, while Sujeewa Godaliyadda continues to hold the Treasurer’s post. Chryshantha Kapuwatta and Lasantha Wickremasinghe will once again don the hats of Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer, respectively.

The election, part of SLC’s biannual cycle, was overseen and greenlit by the Election Committee chaired by retired Court of Appeal Justice Malani Gunaratne.

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Vidyaloka fightback to win Under 19 Division II Tier ‘B’ cricket title

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Vidyaloka College team pose for pictures after winning the Under 19 Division II Tier 'B' cricket title.

Vidyaloka College fought back on the back of a valuable century by Nimesh Aavinda to pull off two wickets victory over Kingswood in the Under 19 Division II Tier ‘B’ cricket tournament final played at Saliyapura, Anuradhapura on Monday.

Vidyaloka had a deficit of 36 runs in the first innings but a combined effort helped them restrict Kingswood to 161 runs in the second essay. They were left with a target of 198 runs to chase. And they achieved it with Nimesh Aavinda top scoring with 115 runs.

Scores

Kingswood

227 all out in 83.3 overs (Chanul Kodituwakku 33, Aadil Sheriff 69, Kavija Gamage 25, Nikeshala Nanayakkara 56; Seniru Ninduwara 4/74, Lidula Nuwanga 2/58, Nimesh Aavinda 2/48, Pulindu Chamuditha 2/19) and 161 all out in 65.3 overs (Kavija Gamage 57, Nikeshala Nanayakkara 45; Seniru Ninduwara 2/45, Pulindu Chamuditha 2/07)

Vidyaloka

191 all out in 79.3 overs (Lidula Nuwanga 81, Seniru Ninduwara 34, Tharusha Jayamith 23; Kavija Gamage 4/63, Upadi Jayawardane 2/41) and 200 for 8 in 48.3 overs( Nimesh Aavinda 114, Lidula Nuwanga 34, Seniru Ninduwara 28; Kavija Gamage 3/80, Dominsara Peiris 2/51)

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Richmond Mahinda Big Match in limbo

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by Reemus Fernando

There was a growing sense of uncertainty surrounding the hosting of the 120th edition of the Lovers’ Quarrel Big Match after Richmond College raised concerns over an attempt by Mahinda College to field a newly recruited player in the team at the historic match which was scheduled to commence on Thursday.

Richmond College authorities have informed Mahinda that they would pullout from the match if the newly recruited player who played for St. Aloysius’ in the just concluded Under 19 cricket tournament is included in the Big Match team.

According to sources Mahinda College have recruited St. Aloysius’ skipper Charya Paranavithana at the end of the Under 19 cricket tournament and are yet to register him under their name with Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association. They have included the player in the Big Match squad.

A source close to Mahinda said that though the player is included in the squad he was not certain to be in the playing XI.

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