Sports
Shanika breaks lockdown shackles to erase 35 year old athletics record
98th National Athletics Championship
by Reemus Fernando
Emerging school athlete Shanika Lakshani competing alongside seniors shattered one of the oldest athletics records when she clocked 4:33.40 seconds to finish the women’s 1500 metres at the 98th National Athletics Championship concluded at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Tuesday.
The Holy Cross College, Gampaha athlete was one of the school athletes taking part in the Nationals in a bid to achieve entry standards for the postponed World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi. The athlete trained by Madura Perera came almost close to achieving entry standards in both 800 metres and 1500 metres.
Though she narrowly missed the entry mark, she could improve, by nearly two seconds, the Sri Lanka Junior Record for women’s 1500 metres, which had remained untouched for 35 years.
“She has not taken part in many 1,500 metres. She was a bit too fast in the first and the second laps. Otherwise she could have accomplished the target (earning entry standards). Looking back at the circumstances under which she had to train, this is a huge accomplishment,” said Madura Perera the coach of Lakshani in an interview with The Island.
The area she lives had been under lockdown due to the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic. But Madura and his team had received the support of the Gampaha District Additional Secretary to conduct a residential camp after initial training had been hampered due to the pandemic.
The more than three decades old record was held by former National Champion Dammika Menike who created the mark (4:35.70 seconds) at the Asian Intercity Junior meet in Singapore in 1985.
Lakshani also did well in the 800metres finishing in a time of 2:08.90 seconds.
Lakshani who represented Sri Lanka at the Asian Youth Athletics Championship in 2019 was among several school athletes who tried their best at the National Championship which was the only national level athletics event held this year.
Meanwhile, on day two of the event, Dharmapala College, Pannipitiya hurdler Senuri Anuththara who was another World Under-20 Championship aspirant, clocked 14.60 seconds in the 100 metres hurdles to shatter the junior record held by Harshani Wijesinghe (2009).
Chamari Athapaththu is set to miss the final phase of the WPL for UP Warriorz (UPW) to join Sri Lanka on a white-ball tour of New Zealand starting March 4 in Napier. Athapaththu’s departure will be the second big blow for UPW who are already without their full-time captain Alyssa Healy because of injury.
ESPNcricinfo has learnt that as of now, Athapaththu is going to be available for UPW until February 26, which is four more games for them, before she tends to national duties. After their game on February 26, against Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru, UPW will fly to Lucknow for the final league phase of the tournament where they will play three home matches. They left Athapaththu out of the XI in the clash they lost to Gujarat Giants.
Athapaththu was named captain of Sri Lanka’s 16 member side released by SLC on Monday and the squad is scheduled to leave for New Zealand on February 22 for three ODIs and as many T20Is.
Allrounder Amelia Kerr is the only New Zealand player in the WPL this season and she, unlike Athapaththu, is going to miss the bilateral series next month to play the entire WPL, including the knockouts if MI qualify for those again. If MI make it to the final, scheduled for March 15, Kerr will also miss the first two T20is slotted for March 14 and 16 in Christchurch. Last year too, Kerr had skipped the home bilateral T20Is against England to be available for the entire duration of the WPL.
In 2024, the calendar clash between the final leg of WPL and the T20I series in New Zealand had become a much bigger issue when England captain Heather Knight (RCB) and Lauren Bell (UPW) had opted out of WPL completely to represent their national team. Coincidentally, Athapaththu had replaced Bell for UPW then.
However, since then boards like the ECB have assured their players they won’t schedule international games during the WPL, which is set to move from the current February-March window to January-February 2026 onwards, according to the new women’s Future Tours Programme (FTP). To avoid such clashes between international series and other T20 leagues, the Hundred (August) and the WBBL (November) have also been given separate windows in the FTP that runs till 2029.
[Cricinfo]
Sri Lanka Masters will lock horns with their Australian counterparts today in the semi-finals of the Over-50 Masters World Cup at the Mercantile Cricket Association grounds in Colombo – 7. The other semi-final will see England take on Pakistan across the wall at NCC. The grand final set to be played at the P. Sara Oval on Sunday.
Led by Shane Fernando and coached by Harsha de Silva, the Sri Lankan team has been a formidable presence in the tournament.
Organized by International Masters Cricket (IMC)—an Australia-based body dedicated to senior cricket—the body promotes four age group categories, ranging from Over-40s to Over-70s.
This year’s tournament has brought together 14 nations: Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, England, Wales, UAE, Canada, USA and the West Indies and caters for over 50 players. Sri Lanka Masters have consistently participated across all age-group World Cups, underscoring their commitment to veterans’ cricket.
Previous editions of the tournament were hosted in Sydney and Cape Town. The Colombo leg commenced earlier this month, with the 14-team event broadcast live globally. In total, 56 matches were scheduled, with each innings comprising 45 overs.
Veterans’ cricket continues to gain popularity worldwide, promoting fitness, camaraderie, and a love for the game well beyond the professional years. This tournament not only offers intense competition but also serves as a testament to the sport’s enduring appeal. However, despite its significance, the Masters World Cup struggles with limited sponsorship, relying largely on self-funding and a restricted budget to stay afloat.
Sri Lanka squad:
Saman Jayantha, Rory Ingram, Indika de Saram, Ruvin Peiris (Vice-Captain), Russell Ingram, Shane Fernando (Captain), Upul Chandana, Suwanji Madanayake, Duminda Somaweera, Dilshan Amarasinghe, Ravi Perera, Dillon Fernandesz, Priyantha Rajapaksha, Chaminda Rajapaksha, Punyakantha Abeygunasekara, Renuka Nonis, Pujitha Uduwana, and Daminda Wijesekara.
Sri Lanka team for the South Asian Cross Country Championships were scheduled to leave for Pakistan early morning today. The twice postponed championship will be held in Islamabad on Sunday. The team for this championship was selected early last year.
(Seated from left) S.P. Wasantha Kumara (Team Manager), Janz Dissanayake (Coach). (Back row from left)· W.M.N.G. Abeyrathne (Senior), W.H.K. Madhushan (Junior), R.A.D. Hemantha Kumara (Senior), W. Vakshan (Senior), R. Vidushan (Junior),
S. Thudiharshidan (Junior)
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