Airport and Aviation on top

ATHLETICS: The 27th Mercantile Athletic Championships last week at the Sugathadasa Stadium had Airport and Aviation Limited taking top spot with SriLankan Airlines coming second.

While the top two teams took the spotlight, there was also the athletes from Lake House who occupied the spotlight.

The athletes from Lake House had a haul of 16 medals which included nine gold, six silver and one bronze and they took fourth position.

Udula Peiris (women) and J.A.A.S. Kumara (men) had a hand in winning three gold medals each. Udula Peiris, running in the women's over 40 age group, won the 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres events, while Kumara participating in the men's over 45 years events, had gold medals coming his way in the 1,500 metres, 800 metres and 400 metes events in his age group.

There was also the other athletes from Lake House who performed creditably - D.K.I.P. Namasiri (two silver medals), H.A. Chaminda Lal (one silver), A. Sudusinghe (three silver), I.A.N. Chandrasiri (two golds and one bronze).

The veterans relay team - 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 metes comprising of Namarathne, Namasiri, Kumara and Sudusinghe won gold.

Best performers

Championships men: M.C. Rantalage - long jump 6.87 m (Airport and Aviation.

Women: Kumari Wijesinghe - 100m hurdles 15.7 seconds (Janashakthi Insurance).

Novices men: G.S.M.J. de Silva - long jump 6.40m (Commercial bank).

Women: Shamalee Wickramasinghe - 100m 13.75 seconds (NDB).

Veterans men: Roshan Samarasinghe - 200m 24.2 seconds (The Finance).

Women: Gayathri Lankathilake - long jump 4.27m (HNB).

Challenge Trophies

Men's joint champions: MAS/Sampath Bank.

Women's champions: Janashakthi Insurance.

Novices championships men: Smart Shirts.

Women: HSBC.

Veterans championships men:

Airport and Aviation.