Sports
Yupun to compete at National Championships in a bid to book Olympic ticket
by Reemus Fernando
Italy based sprinter Yupun Abeykoon is set to compete in Sri Lanka after a lapse of many years as South Asia’s fastest man bids to gain maximum ranking points at the 102nd National Athletics Championship starting tomorrow to improve his ‘Road to Paris 24’ rankings.
Abyekoon who represented Sri Lanka at the Tokyo Olympics suffered a setback few weeks ago due to a minor injury and could not take part in some of the top grade competitions on Europe. That has resulted him being ranked 78th in the ‘Road to Paris 24’ rankings which determines the top (56) athletes competing in the 100 metres in Paris. He has to clock 10.00 seconds or has to remain among the top 56 athletes in the ‘Road to Paris 24’ rankings when the qualifying period expires on June 30 if he is to book his ticket to Olympics.
As it was reported in these pages last month Sri Lanka Athletics had kept the door open for the 29-year-old to take part in the National Championships to give him the last possible opportunity to earn maximum points for his Olympic qualification.
The winner of the National Championship earns 100 points apart from the points for the performance. If Yupun produces a performance closer to his seasonal best that is likely to earn him over 1200 scoring points. If he can accomplish that target his average points are likely to increase to over 1190 points. Yupun currently has 1172 (average) points from the five races he competed this year while the 56th placed athlete in the ‘Road to Paris 25’ rankings also has similar points.
When queried about the possibility of Yupun taking part in the National Championship his Sri Lankan manager confirmed his participation.
The only sprinter in the South Asian region to have clocked sub 10 seconds in the 100 metres, the former Joseph Vaz College athlete has not competed on Sri Lankan soil for more than five years.
His participation will also help local sprinters improve their performances.Abeykoon’s national record time of 9.96 seconds is the fourth fastest time by an Asian in the history and only ten Asian athletes have produced sub ten seconds for 100 metres in the history.
Six-a-side school cricket is set to make a high-profile return to Moratuwa when the Old Boys’ Association of Prince of Wales’ College stages the Prince of Wales’ College 150th Anniversary Inter-School Sixes Cricket Tournament on August 29 and 30 at the De Soysa Stadium.
The two-day tournament is one of the major sporting attractions of the College’s historic 150th anniversary celebrations and
will bring together 16 leading school cricket teams for a knockout competition.
The tournament is aimed at reviving the excitement of six-a-side cricket, a format renowned for its fast pace and spectator-friendly nature, which has not featured regularly in major inter-school competitions in recent years.
The Old Boys’ Association believes the 150th anniversary provides the ideal opportunity to bring the format back to the forefront while celebrating Moratuwa’s deep-rooted passion for cricket.
Cricket has long held a special place in the hearts of Moratuwa’s residents, while Prince of Wales’ College boasts a proud cricketing tradition that has produced several outstanding players who have gone on to represent Sri Lanka at the highest level.
The organizers expect more than 5,000 cricket enthusiasts from Moratuwa and surrounding areas to witness the tournament over the two days, turning the event into a major festival of school cricket.
The opening ceremony on August 29 is scheduled to be attended by Kusal Mendis, one of the leading cricketers produced by Prince of Wales’ College and a member of the Sri Lankan national team.
The tournament will feature 16 schools, including Royal College Colombo, St. Joseph’s College Darley Road, Thurstan College Colombo, S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda, Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa, Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, D.S. Senanayake College Colombo, Sri Sumangala College Panadura, Richmond College Galle, Mahanama College Colombo, St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa, St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya, Wesley College Colombo, Ananda College Colombo and Mahanama College Panadura.
With the competition being played on a knockout basis, the compact format is expected to produce plenty of attacking cricket and give emerging players an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a large crowd.
Apart from the competitive aspect, the tournament is also intended to promote sportsmanship, friendship and fellowship among the participating schools.
The tournament will conclude on August 30 with a ceremonial awards presentation, with the participation of Eran Wickramaratne, distinguished invitees, representatives of participating schools, past pupils and members of the cricketing community.
The Old Boys’ Association has also expressed its appreciation to the corporate sector and event sponsors whose support has helped make the tournament possible.
Their contribution, according to the organizers, reflects the continuing partnership between Prince of Wales’ College, its alumni and the corporate community in supporting educational, sporting and development initiatives.
The six-a-side tournament is therefore expected to provide not only two days of entertaining school cricket, but also a fitting sporting celebration of 150 years of Prince of Wales’ College.
India 503/9 decl (Devdutt Padikkal 117, Dhruv Jurel 115; Asitha Fernando 4-106, Prabath Jayasuriya 2-132) drew with Sri Lanka 290 (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3-52, Manav Suthar 3-85) and 429/9 f/o (Sonal Dinusha 133*, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Ravindra Jadeja 3-94, Manav Suthar 3-121)
American golfer Matt Gogel has been suspended for six months for betting on golf tournaments, the PGA Tour has said.
The 55-year-old competes on the PGA Tour Champions circuit which is reserved for professional golfers aged 50 and older.
Gogel did not bet on events in which he was participating but admitted to unknowingly violating PGA Tour policy by placing “small recreational wagers” in 2024 and 2025.
“I would never knowingly violate the integrity of the game of golf,” Gogel said in a statement.
“I made an honest mistake and I look forward to playing in 2027 on the PGA Tour Champions.”
He had two top-10 finishes across 18 PGA Tour Champions events in 2026 and was most recently in action during the Rogers Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta where he finished tied 30th last week.
Gogel, who has earned more than $760,000 (£559,000) in prize money from Champions events, won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2002 – his only victory in 179 starts on the PGA Tour.
His suspension came into effect on 23 August and lasts until 22 February.
[BBC Sports]
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