Sports
Salwa Eid Naser’s missed drug tests and Sri Lanka’s missed medal
Nadeesha Ramanayake, Dilshi Kumarasinghe, Upamalika Ratnakumari and Nimali Liyanarachchi joined to establish a national record but that feat was not enough to win a medal as Salwa Eid Naser stunned them in the final lap.
by Reemus Fernando
When it comes to gold medal winners at last year’s Asian Athletics Championships, no name rings louder than that of the Bahrain sprinter Salwa Eid Naser for Sri Lanka women’s 4x400metres relay quartet who established a new national record in Doha. Despite breaking the national record held by legendary athlete Damayanthi Dharsha and co, the team, inclusive of Nadeesha Ramanayake, Dilshi Kumarasinghe, Upamalika Ratnakumari and Nimali Liyanarachchi, had to settle for the fourth place. After being in contention for a medal for a better part of the relay, Sri Lanka were stunned in the last lap by the sprinting prowess of Nigerian born Salwa Eid Naser who anchored the Bahrain team to gold. A few months later the Bahrain athlete stunned the Olympic gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo in one of the biggest upsets at the World Championships at the same venue. However later it came to light that she was under investigation for missing drug tests when she competed at the World Championships.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) last month said that the charges against Naser for missed tests and filing failures were dismissed by an independent tribunal. But the women’s 400-meter world champion faces new legal case that could see her banned before the Tokyo Olympics. In an event of her being slapped with a ban, the athletes who had been beaten by Naser for medals would seek an upgrade to the colours of their medals.
Track and field’s Athletics Integrity Unit said it appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against a decision last month to close the case against Naser. She has been charged with breaking anti-doping rules and could be slapped with a two year ban. Her anti doping rules violation is a whereabouts, which constitutes of any combination of three missed tests or filing failures in a 12-month period, according to the World Athletics anti-doping rules.
The particular 12 month period includes the Asian Athletics Championship 2019.
Naser won three golds at the Asian Athletics Championship including a championship record of 22.74 seconds in winning the 200 metres. She clocked 51.34 seconds to win the 400 metres.
Sri Lanka were shocked in the women’s 4×400 metres final. After a strong start by Nadeesha Ramanayake, Dilshi Kumarasinghe powered Sri Lanka to the second place leaving Ratnakumari and Liyanarachchi to battle it out in the last two laps. By the time Liyanarachchi took the baton Sri Lanka were still in contention for a medal and Bahrain were trailing in the fourth place. Official statistics showed Naser running sub 50 seconds in the final lap to overtake Sri Lanka, Japan and India to win her third gold.
When Naser beat Olympic gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo at the World Championships 2019, she produced 48.14 seconds, the fastest time of the 400 metres since 1985 and the third fastest all time.
The BCB has said that they will rely on the Bangladesh government’s directive before finalising their tour to Pakistan later this month. Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play five T20Is there from May 25 to June 3, but the PSLs schedule was revised following cross-border tensions between Pakistan and India.
According to the revised fixtures, the PSL final will now be held on May 25, when Pakistan and Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play the first T20I.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that the PCB has sent a new schedule for the T20Is between Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the first match now slotted for May 27, and the last on June 5.
BCB’s media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman said they will rely on information from government security agencies and the Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad to take the final decision.
“Once we receive official communication about the dates and venues [of the tour], we will forward it to the government,” Rahman said. “The BCB is not the decision-maker in this matter. If the government agencies and our embassy declare Pakistan safe for travel, only then will we proceed.
“In our previous meeting, we agreed that any such situation would be referred to the foreign and home ministries. Once we get clearance from all relevant bodies, we will finalise the tour. Security concerns were more significant in the past, but Pakistan has proven it can ensure safety. Still, given the current circumstances, we need to assess whether the situation across the country is stable before sending the team.”
Before playing Pakistan, Bangladesh are scheduled to play two T20Is against UAE in Sharjah on May 17 and 19. They were then supposed to fly to Lahore on May 21.
[Cricinfo]
Apna Perera won his third title of the 110th Colombo Championships as he partnered Dhilvan Herath to beat Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando in the open men’s doubles final.
Apna and Dhilvan registered 6-2, 6-2 win in the final.
Apna, the open men’s singles champion, was also the winner of the mixed doubles which was played according to round robin method. In the mixed doubles Apna partnered Inuki Jayaweera.
Results
Men’s doubles semi-finals
Apna Perera and Dhilvan Herath beat Ashen Silva and Lithum Jayabandu 6-1, 6-2
Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando beat Methika Wickramasinghe and Vichinthya Nilaweera 6-3, 2-6, 10-4.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) recently carried out a Fast Bowling Talent Search program in the Polonnaruwa District as part of its ongoing efforts to identify and nurture emerging cricketing talent across the country.
The program, held at the Royal College Ground, Polonnaruwa, attracted over 60 promising young players—both boys and girls—including school cricketers of the district. Each participant underwent skill assessments to evaluate their fast bowling potential.
Following the evaluations, 20 talented bowlers were selected for further development.
The selected players will now receive structured training under the guidance of Provincial coaches of Sri Lanka Cricket, with a focus on refining their techniques and enhancing their overall performance.
Those who continue to demonstrate consistent improvement will be given the opportunity to join SLC’s district squads, thereby becoming part of the official National Pathway Program.
This initiative is a part of SLC’s ‘Cricket Gamata’, program which aims to find talent from rural areas across Sri Lanka.
The talent assessments were conducted by Lasantha Lakmin, SLC Talent Scout for the North Central and North Western Provinces; Lakshitha Herath, North Central Provincial Women’s Coach; and Saman Senanayake, North Central Provincial Fast Bowling Coach.
The event was organized by the North Central Provincial Cricket Association under the guidance of Sri Lanka Cricket. It was managed by Krishan Anandakumar, Manager of the Center of Excellence, Dambulla.
French Navy Ship ‘BEAUTEMPS BEAUPRE’ sets sail from Colombo
BCB to follow government directive before finalising Pakistan tour
Trump pledges to lift Syria sanctions as he seals $142bn arms deal on Saudi visit
-
Features3 days agoSAITM Graduates Overcome Adversity, Excel Despite Challenges
-
Business6 days agoJohn Keells Properties and MullenLowe unveil “Minutes Away”
-
News3 days agoDestined to be pope:Brother says Leo XIV always wanted to be a priest
-
Sports3 days agoASBC Asian U22 and Youth Boxing Championships from Monday
-
Foreign News4 days agoMexico sues Google over ‘Gulf of America’ name change
-
Opinion6 days agoRatmalana: An international airport without modern navigational and landing aids
-
Opinion3 days agoDrs. Navaratnam’s consultation fee three rupees NOT Rs. 300
-
Features2 days agoChampioning Geckos, Conservation, and Cross-Disciplinary Research in Sri Lanka