Sports
Meet Harijan, the 400 metres hurdler at Sydney Olympics
Waiting for the next Olympic hurdler – Part VIII
by Reemus Fernando
The last Sri Lankan man to run 400 metres hurdles at an Olympics is Harijan Ratnayake. That was 21 years ago. He will be in Tokyo next month. Ratnayake who holds the national record of the discipline will not be running hurdles there. Instead he is accompanying his charge Kumudu Priyanga for the Paralympics. Asian Para Games medallist Priyanga is not a hurdler. She will compete in the 100 metres and the long jump in the T47 category.
“I do not have hurdlers training under me,” says Harijan who alongside Asian medallist Asoka Jayasundara are the only men to know how it feels like to have run the event under 50 seconds.
Rajitha Niranjan Rajakaruna who won the bronze medal in the 400 metres flat event at the last National Championship is trained by Harijan. He clocked 47.21 seconds at the nationals. According to Harijan athletes willing to take up the 400 metres hurdles and ready to work hard are in short supply. “When Rajakaruna came to me he was running 400 metres in 57 seconds or somewhere around that. To become a 400 metres hurdler you have to be a good 400 metres sprinter as well. When the base is prepared he could be trained for 400 metres hurdles.”
“I see many future prospects. But I can train only if they come to me,” says Harijan who earmarks Asian Junior Championship (2018) medallist Pasindu Kodikara as one.
Harijan too was not a hurdler initially. He reached the pinnacle of his athletics career, established records and went on to represent Sri Lanka at Sydney Olympics when he trained under S.M.G. Banda, who was among the best in the business then. Harijan was introduced to Banda by incumbent president of Sri Lanka Athletics Palitha Fernando, who had been in the athletics administration since 1979. Things have change dramatically within the last two decades as athletes have continued to remain with their school coaches even after reaching senior level.
After Duncan White won silver in the 400 metres hurdles in 1948 Olympics it took Sri Lanka more than five decades to qualify an athlete for the 400 metres hurdles. A clue to the question why had it taken so many years to unearth someone like Ratnayake might lie in a stack of books in an iron cupboard in the department of sports at the Ministry of Education. The event results of all athletics disciplines of the All Island Schools Games are carefully stored according to their year in a steel cupboard at Isurupaya. Our search for the 400 metres hurdles results of all Schools Games found that the event had been only introduced in early 90s. According to Sri Lanka Athletics statistician the Public Schools meet which was the forerunner to the All Island Schools Games had only the 300 metres hurdles.
Had Ratnayake competed in 400 metres hurdles in his last year, the All Island Schools Games results of mid 90s should have had his performances. The name Ratnayake is not there in the final of any meet in that period. However in one particular meet heats performances shows an athlete from Dharmadutha Vidyalaya, Badulla being placed third in a heat. “When the championship was held in Anuradhapura I went to see the ruins after the heats. I did not even see the final.”
However it took only five years for him to be Sri Lanka’s number one hurdler and win medals at Asian level and represent Sri Lanka at Olympics. The right athlete training under the right coach can bring the best out of both.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has issued a show cause notice to its director M Nazmul Islam over his “objectionable comments” in public against the country’s cricketers on Wednesday.
The notice came a couple of hours before the scheduled start of the BPL matches for the day, though the players’ body CWAB has called for a nationwide boycott on all forms of cricket unless Islam tenders his resignation.
The four first-division matches in the Dhaka Cricket League scheduled for the day didn’t start on Thursday morning, which caused serious concern in the BCB. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express players, who were supposed to play the first BPL match on Thursday, are sticking to the boycott.
“The board has already initiated formal disciplinary proceedings against the board member concerned,” the BCB statement read. “A show cause letter has been issued, and the individual has been instructed to submit a written response within 48 hours. The matter will be dealt with through due process and appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the proceedings.”
ESPNcricinfo understands that some board directors contacted the CWAB president Mohammad Mithun late on Wednesday night, offering that they would make Nazmul stand down from his role as the finance committee chairman. But Mithun said the cricketers’ call for the boycott remained in place.
The toss of the first BPL match on Thursday is at 12.30 pm local time. Once the start time for the match has passed, the CWAB leaders are supposed to hold a press conference, where they will present the BCB with their demands, including the resignation of the director.
[Cricinfo]
Sadio Mane fired Senegal into the final of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over seven-time winners Egypt.
The two-time African Footballer of the Year broke the deadlock in the 78th minute on Wednesday when he let fly from just outside the penalty area inside the bottom left corner after Lamine Camara’s initial effort was blocked.
It sparked joy and relief among the Teranga Lions’ fans in Tangier, where the 2021 champions – after beating Egypt in the final – had taken the initiative but struggled to create clear chances against the Pharaohs’ stubborn defence.
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly will miss the title match – against either host Morocco or Nigeria, who were to play in Rabat later on Wednesday – after picking up a yellow card that meant a suspension and then going off injured in the 23rd minute.
Koulibaly was booked in the 17th for a tactical foul on Omar Marmoush. The captain was also sent off in the group-stage win over Benin and consequently missed the win over Sudan. His tournament was effectively ended when he had to be replaced by Mamadou Sarr because of injury.
Nicolas Jackson had fired over just before Senegal displayed more attacking intent. Habib Diarra and Pape Gueye also had efforts saved.
Tensions boiled over when Mohamed Salah fouled his former Liverpool teammate Mane, but Senegal coach Pape Thiaw and Egypt counterpart Hossam Hassan managed to cool tempers.
Senegal’s Habib Diarra was booked for arguing, however, meaning he will miss the final, too.
[Aljazeera]
Bangladesh’s cricketers have threatened a boycott of all forms of cricket unless BCB director M Nazmul Islam tenders his resignation, following disparaging comments he made against players on Wednesday. Nazmul, the board’s finance committee chairman, had said earlier on Wednesday that he believes national cricketers should be asked to return the “crores and crores of taka” that the BCB spends on them.
Mohammad Mithun, the president of the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), raised the prospect of a boycott – which will have immediate impact on the BPL – hours after Nazmul’s press conference at the BCB’s headquarters in Dhaka.
“The remark made by the BCB director Najmul Islam has hurt the cricket fraternity greatly and it’s not acceptable,” Mithun told reporters on Wednesday evening. “We demand his resignation. If he doesn’t resign before tomorrow’s match, we will announce a boycott of all cricket, starting from the BPL matches tomorrow (Thursday).”
There are two BPL matches scheduled for January 15. ESPNcricinfo understands that team captains Najmul Hossain Shanto (Rajshahi Warriors), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Sylhet Titans), Mahedi Hasan (Chattogram Royals) and Mithun (Dhaka Capitals), along with Noakhali coach Khaled Mahmud have confirmed their solidarity with the boycott call.
Nazmul’s comments, which the BCB has officially distanced itself from, were made on the sidelines of the board’s prayer meeting for the late former prime minister Khaled Zia. They come as part of ongoing reverberations from the BCB’s decision to not play matches in India at the upcoming T20 World Cup. The ICC event is co-hosted with Sri Lanka and the BCB, citing security concerns, has remained firm in not wanting to play games in India, a decision they made after the BCCI instructed the Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Mustafizur Rahman from their playing roster.
Nazmul was asked questions about the potential financial implications for Bangladesh should they end up not playing in the T20 World Cup at all. He responded by saying the board would not take a hit and that only the cricketers would, adding that there would be no compensation for them should they miss out. “Why would there be? Are we asking them for the crores and crores of taka that we are spending on them? Answer me first.
“We are spending so much money on them, they are not being able to do anything in different places. Have we got any international awards? What have we done at any level? Let us now ask them for the money back after every time they couldn’t play. Give us back. Why should there even be a question of compensating the players?”
The BCB released a statement soon after, making it clear Nazmul’s views were his alone. “The Board expresses its sincere regret for remarks that may be deemed inappropriate, offensive, or hurtful. Such comments do not reflect the values, principles, or official position of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, nor do they align with the standards of conduct expected from individuals entrusted with the responsibility of serving Bangladesh cricket.
“The BCB reiterates that it does not endorse or take responsibility for any statement or remark made by any director or Board member unless issued formally through the Board’s designated spokesperson or the Media & Communications Department. Any statements made outside these authorised channels are personal in nature and should not be interpreted as representing the views or policies of the Board.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board also makes it clear that it will take appropriate disciplinary action against any individual whose conduct or comments show disrespect towards cricketers or cause harm to the reputation and integrity of Bangladesh cricket.”
It is the second time in quick succession that Nazmul has put himself in the spotlight for comments against players. Earlier this week he had hit out at Tamim Iqbal in a Facebook post, over comments the former Bangladesh captain made last Friday, calling for the BCB to think through more carefully their decision-making over participation in the T20 World Cup. “Bangladesh cricket’s interest, future and everything else must be considered before making such a decision,” Tamim had said, urging for a resolution to be found through dialogue.
Nazmul and another board director Asif Akbar were harsh in their response to Tamim’s statement, saying that he was acting in the interests of India on this issue.
[Cricinfo]
Another crane collapses in Thailand, killing two, after 32 die previous day
India shuts Kashmir medical college – after Muslims earned most admissions
Singapore’s opposition leader stripped of title after conviction for lying
BCB issues show cause notice to Nazmul Islam but Bangladesh players firm on boycott
From behind bars, Aung San Suu Kyi casts a long shadow over Myanmar
Senegal beat Egypt 1-0 in AFCON semifinal as Sadio Mane scores late
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Business4 days agoDialog and UnionPay International Join Forces to Elevate Sri Lanka’s Digital Payment Landscape
-
News4 days agoSajith: Ashoka Chakra replaces Dharmachakra in Buddhism textbook
-
Features4 days agoThe Paradox of Trump Power: Contested Authoritarian at Home, Uncontested Bully Abroad
-
Features4 days agoSubject:Whatever happened to (my) three million dollars?
-
News4 days agoLevel I landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Badulla, Kandy, Matale and Nuwara-Eliya extended
-
Business1 day agoNew policy framework for stock market deposits seen as a boon for companies
-
Business11 hours agoKoaloo.Fi and Stredge forge strategic partnership to offer businesses sustainable supply chain solutions
-
Opinion6 days agoThe minstrel monk and Rafiki, the old mandrill in The Lion King – II