Ajith Bandara clocks 2:31.4 to win the marathon

Yasaratne GAMAGE

K. K. A. M. Kumarasinghe (Western Province) recorded the best time in the Women's Marathon the 37th National Sports Festival at Puttalam on Saturday. She finished the event in 2 hours and 56 minutes which is less than 16 seconds of D. A. Inoka's (Central Province) record 2.56.16 set in 2001.

A. M. Ajith Bandara (North Western Province) won the men's marathon by finishing the event 29 seconds ahead of the first runner up R. M. Indika Ajith Rathnayake of the same province.

Men's cycling event saw a close finish and it was a thrilling experience for the spectators when the first six riders recorded the same time (3 hours, 23 minutes and 39 seconds). Jeevan M Jayasinghe Silva (Western Province) won the 143 km race recording an average speed of 42.14 km per hour. Of the four cyclists who steered from the others towards the half way of the race, Suwaris Premachandra and Nuwan Ruchira managed to overtake others to finish the race in the 2nd and 3rd places.

Niluka Shayamali finished the 52 km women' race by sprinting from a

bunch of eight cyclists to the end the race first in one hour, 36 minutes and two seconds. K. G. Manomi Kumari Bandara (Eastern Province) became the runner up clocking the same time for the race which recorded an average speed of 32.5 km per hour.

I. C. Ratnapala won the men's Race Walking finishing the event in one hour 47 min. 33 sec. to add points to Central Province. G. G. Geetha Nandani (Western Province) won the women's event who finished the race in one hour, 59 minutes and 13 seconds.

Y. A. Kasun Madhava (Bandaranayakepura Model School) won the boys'

road race for the schools while K. P. Dilshani Wijayapathirana (Kalawewa Vijaya MV) won the girls' event.

NWP won the team championship in the men's marathon but no teams qualified in the women's category. Western Province emerged champions in the men's cycling team champions while North Central Province won the women's title.

NWP team again emerged men's race walking champions while Southern Province grabbed the women's title.

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage witnessed the start of the events and the awards ceremony was held under the patronage of North Western Province Sports Minister Ashoka Wadigamangawa.