Thirteen New records at Junior Athletic Championship:

Vidusha Lakshani becomes second IAAF Junior qualifier

by Sajeewa Jayakody

Vidusha Lakshani became the second athlete of Sri Lanka to qualify for the IAAF World Junior Championship in USA July this year by winning the gold medal in the girls under-20 triple jump event on the second day of the National Junior Athletic Championship at the Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo yesterday.

The Newstead Balika Negombo schoolgirl leapt 12.99 metres erasing the eight-year-old previous record of 12.09 metres set by Ishali Chandrasekara of Ferguson Girls High School Ratnapura in 2006.

Lakshani's previous best effort was 12.68 metres in the last South Asian Junior Athletic Championship in Ranchi, India in November, 2013 when she won the gold medal with a 12.68 metre distance.

The IAAF Junior standard for Under-20 girls triple jump event is 12.90 metres and Lakshani became the second qualifer after Sri Lanka's up and coming sprinter Himasha Eshan qualified for the 100m event for his 10.52 time set in the Selection Trial at Diyagama in March this year.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's 110m hurdles national champion Supun Randeniya set a new meet record in the heats yesterday.

Randeniya clocked 14.27 seconds in the second heat of the 110m boys under-23 hurdles event erasing the previous best mark of 14.45 set by himself last year.

However, the Ranbima Royal College hurdler's best personal mark is 14.22 seconds set in Fitness Trial in Diyagama in March this year.

Sri Lanka Navy's Ishara Sandaruwan set up a new meet record in the Under-23 pole vault event. Sandaruwan's effort was 4.50 metres, breaking the previous best effort of 4.41m set by Channa Fernando of Sri Lanka Army in 2005.

Malinda Madushanka of St Ritas College Wennappuwa renewed his own record with a 16.38 metres in the under-18 shot putt event.

Under-18 110m hurdler Akila Ravishanka of Seevali Central College Ratnapura clocked 14.53 to set new junior national record eclipsing the previous record of 14.65 set by UA Dickmadugoda of Anuradhapura MMV in 2007.