Sports
Aruna’s Olympic qualification ends two decades of wait
by Reemus Fernando
Sprinter Aruna Dharshana’s qualification for Paris Olympics has ended two decades of wait for a Sri Lankan sprinter in the 400 metres at the world’s biggest sports event.
Dharshana’s coach Asanka Rajakaruna
The 400 metres is arguably the most productive track and field event for Sri Lanka at the international stage. The 400 metres sprinters have won more international medals for the country than athletes in other disciplines. Yet the country had not witnessed a sprinter run the one lap race at the quadrennial event since Rohan Pradeep Kumara ran at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
The World Athletics confirmed Dharshana’s qualification on Saturday. According to ‘Road to Paris 24’ final ranking published on Sunday, Dharshana was ranked 47 and he became the third Sri Lankan track and field athlete to book the Olympic ticket. Javelin thrower Dilhani Lekamge and Tharushi Karunaratne were the other two athletes to earn their tickets to Paris.
According to the final rankings published by World Athletics on Sunday, Lekamge was ranked 25th while Karunaratne was in the 44th position in the women’s 800 metres.
From the time he erased the meet record of the 400 metres at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Gifu Japan in 2018 the athlete from Seruvila was earmarked for greatness. The athlete trained by Asanka Rajakaruna was looked up to as the sprinter who would one day attack more than a quarter century old national record (44.61 secs) of legendary Sugath Thilakaratne.
The direct Olympic qualifying standard was set at 45 seconds and running sub 45 seconds was the target of the former Weera Keppetipola NS, Akuramboda athlete and his coach Rajakaruna when the new season opened in March. However his season opening mark of 45.30 remained his best as he vied for honours under different weather conditions overseas. It also remained Asia’s best performance this year till mid May. By yesterday only three athletes in Asia, one from Qatar and two from Japan had run faster than Dharshana this year.
Competing in Paris will be a huge accomplishment for the athlete hailing from humble backgrounds and that stage will be ideally set for him to try his first sub 45 seconds.
Dharshana’s qualification effectively ends Yupun Abeykoon’s wait for his second Olympics. With no male athlete confirmed for Olympics until Saturday, sprinter Yupun Abeykoon was Sri Lanka’s nominee for the universality place, though he was yet to prove his fitness.
Bangladesh Under 19s won the six-match Youth ODI series 3-2 after the final Youth ODI against Sri Lanka Under 19s ended without a result due to rain at the Colts ground on Thursday.
Sri Lanka came to the final match with the hope of leveling the series but rain prevented a full match.
Deciding to bat first, the visitors were 188 for three wickets in the 40th over when rain prevented further play.
Skipper Azizul Hakim led Bangladesh with 94 runs inclusive of seven fours and two sixes. For the hosts, Tharusha Navodya, Kugathas Mathulan and Himal Ravihansa took a wicket each.
Sri Lanka Under 19s won the opening encounter by a big margin but three consecutive defeats thereafter saw the visitors take command. Sri Lanka Under 19s bounced back in the penultimate match to keep alive the series but rain spoilt their plans in the final encounter.
110 Vision Care Colombo Championships
Apna Perera will meet Ashen Silva in the men’s singles final on Saturday after the duo won their semi-final matches of the 110th Vision Care Colombo Championships continued at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association clay courts on Thursday.
Apna Perera beat Iran Hussain 6-4, 6-1 in his semi-final while Ashen Silva beat Mayooran Kubheran 6-1, 6-0.
Latest News
IPL 2025: Punjab Kings -Delhi Capitals match in Dharamsala abandoned after floodlight failure
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Delhi Capitals (DC) match in IPL 2025 in Dharamsala has been called off after 10.1 overs.
“The Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals match (Match#58) in Tata IPL was forced to be abandoned due to a significant technical failure at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala,” an official statement from the IPL said. “Due to a power outage in the area, one of the light towers at the HPCA stadium malfunctioned. BCCI regrets the inconvenience caused to the in-stadium attendees.”
In the 10.1 overs possible, PBKS openers Priyanash Arya (70) and Prabhsimran Singh (50*) dominated proceedings, stitching up a 122-run opening stand off 61 balls.
Arya fell in the first ball of the 11th over, top-edging a T Natarajan slower-ball bouncer onto his helmet, which popped up for a simple catch. The players then left the field due to a floodlight failure at the stadium. Around 9.40pm IST, the match was called off.
Before the abandonment, Arya and Prabhsimran took down Mitchell Starc and Dushmantha Chameera in the powerplay as PBKS raced away to 50 for no loss in four overs.
After the powerplay, the pair took down Kuldeep Yadav as well, smashing him for two sixes and two fours. Arya reached his third fifty-plus score of the season in the seventh over off just 25 balls. Prabhsimran reached his own fifty in the tenth and in the process became the first uncapped batter to hit four half-centuries in a row in the IPL.
PBKS next play Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 11, a game that was shifted from Dharmasal to Ahmedabad. DC will play Gujarat Titans (GT) in Delhi on the same day.
[Cricinfo]
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