Team set to compete in Chennai after World Junior Championships

by Reemus Fernando

Sri Lanka junior athletics team will have a busy schedule ahead as they are set to compete in Chennai less than two weeks after taking part in the World Junior Championship for which they received the green light at the eleventh hour.

Sri Lanka’s 12 member junior athletics team to Lima, Peru were uncertain about their journey until yesterday due to lack of funds. The Sports Ministry had earlier informed Sri Lanka Athletics that their journey would not be funded by the government.

Sri Lanka Athletics yesterday confirmed that the team will be finally making the journey after receiving the necessary funds from the government.

“The team will be going in three batches with the first set of athletes reaching Lima on August 25,” Saman Kumara, the secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics told ‘The Island’ yesterday. The World Junior Championships will commence on August 27.

It will be a historic occasion for Sri Lanka Athletics as the governing body will field its biggest team in the history at a World Junior Championships. Twelve athletes reached entry standards during the qualifying period for the biennial event.

The team will be next competing in the Junior South Asian Athletics Championships in Chennai in September.

Sri Lanka Athletics has picked a team of 53 athletes for the regional event which will be held from September 11 to 13.

“We will be fielding a strong team of 53 athletes for the Junior South Asian Championship. We are looking forward to receiving the support of the private sector to field the team. The regional event is a very important championship as most of the future national athletes will be getting their first international exposure at these championships,” the secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics said.

While the team for Lima will have only one relay team (boys’ 4x100m), the team to Chennai will have four relay teams. The boys’ and girls’ 4×100 metres and 4×400 metres relay teams will vie for honours alongside athletes competing in individual events.

The event in Chennai will be the third international meet taken part by some junior athletes as almost all athletes who won medals at the Asian Junior Championship in Dubai early this year are picked in the team. Sri Lanka won five medals including four relay medals in Dubai.

The country’s only individual medal, a silver in the women’s triple jump was won by Nannapurawa MV, Bibila athlete Madushani Herath. Herath is the leading contender in the girls’ category after having turned tables on seniors to win both the long jump and the triple jump at this year’s National Championships.