15th Asian Junior Athletic Championship:

Japanese twins Haruka and Moe steal the limelight

by Ranjan ANANDAPPA

Japanese twins Kyuma Haruka and kyuma Moe gave a fairy-tale start to the opening of the 15th Asian Junior Athletic Championship which began at the Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday.

Kyuama Haruka and Kyuma Moe running in the long distance event 5,000 metre race won the event at ease winning the gold and Silver medals respectively for Japan in the curtain raiser event.

Gold medallist Kyuam clocked 16.07.74 sec. to establish a new meet record and her sister Kyuma Moe took the silver with a timing of 16.08.17.

Korea’s Kim Hyr Gyeeg took the bronze. The Sri Lankan trio of H.M. Seneviratne (18.21.93, B.G. Wijeratne (18.37.45 and K.M. Wickremasooriya (19.13.89) were placed 6th, 7th and 8th in the women’s 5000m race.

Prior to Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne who declared open the Championship, Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage in his speech said that he was delighted to have the event staged in Sri Lanka with over 800 athletes from 34 countries participating.

He further said that “this event will no doubt help to identify latent talent at a juncture where the country has commenced a major development process with the intention of developing sports and taking the athletes to international arena after 30 years of war.

Finals:

5,000m Women: 1. Kyuam Haruka (Japan) 16.07.74 Sec., 2. Kyuama Moe (Japan) 16.08.17, 3. Kim Hyr Gyeeg (16.32.02).