Lankan men's 4x400m team wins Gold

by Chinthana Wasala

Sri Lanka were placed second with seven gold medals, nine silver and 14 bronze medals while India dominated with 24 gold, 19 silver and 14 bronze medals at the South Asian Athletic Championship which came to an end at the Maharaja's Stadium in Cochi, India yesterday.

Pakistan finished with three gold, six silver and five bronze medals.

Four of the seven gold medals Sri Lanka achieved, were produced yesterday in the men's and women's 200m, men's 4X400m and women's 4X100m.

The men's 4X400m team proved that they are the kings in the event in the South Asian region when they secured the gold medal yesterday.

The team consisted of Prasanna Amarasekara, R.Kumara, Asoka Jayasundara and T.H.D.

Priyashantha who broke the previous record of 3m 09.61 secs set by Sri Lankans in 1998 with the new one of 3m 08.93secs. India were placed second with 3m 10.44secs followed by the distant third Pakistan with 3m 24.54secs.

S.M. Weerasuriya won the gold in the men's 200m (21.44secs.) followed by teammate Ashan Hasaranga. Premila Priyadarshani secured her second gold medal at the championship when Sri Lankan sprinters repeated the same in the women's version of the race, by winning both gold and silver medals. She clocked 24.04secs. while S. Irangani was placed second behind her with 24.25secs.

The Sri Lankan women's 4 X 100m team which included the two fastest women in the meet, easily secured the first slot, offering their best of 45.95secs. Premila Priyadarshani and Jani Chaturangani added the speed to their victory along with B.D.G. Padma Kumari and Priyadarshani.

India was placed second and Pakistan, the third. The gold medal for the women's high jump slipped away from the hands of Priyangika Madumanthi when she lost to Sahana Kumari of India.

Both recorded the same height but it was Sahana who cleared that height first. M.N.D. Muthunayake cleared a distance of 13.66m in the women's shot put. She was behind the Indian Seema Antil (14.34m).

Lankan 4X 100m team consisted of Umanga Surendra, Ashan Hasaranga, T. Fernando, was placed third unexpectedly with 41.13secs.

Janitha Kodikara (Women's high jump - 1.77m), H.P.Y. Ajith (men's 400m hurdles - 51.49secs.), P.S.M. de Soysa (Women's 400m hurdles - 1m 01.51secs.), Suresh Abeynayake (Men's 800m - 1m 49.58secs) and D.A.S. Samanmali (Women's 1500m - 4m 25.3secs) were the other bronze medallists for Sri Lanka yesterday.

The women's 4X400m final saw a head to head battle between the Indians and Sri Lankans which ended with both teams shattering the previous record of 3m 39.48secs. set by Sri Lanka in 1998.

Indians took an early lead but in all four occasions the Lankan team which included L.S. Irangani, W. Deepika, Chandrika Subhashini and P.S.M. Soysa, took the final turn of each lap, head to head with the Indian athletes. But after the end of each lap, it was the Indians who took a lead of three or four meters.

Indians finished with a record time of 3m 37.04secs. while the Lankans clocked 3m 37.35secs.