Tough assignment for Lankans in China

by Chinthana Wasala

Sri Lanka will have to put a gallant effort to win medals at the 21st Asian Athletics Championship which starts at the Wuhan Olympic Sports Centre in Wuhan, China on June 3.

The Sri Lankan contingent which includes 23 athletes and eight officials, left for Wuhan last Thursday. The team includes two relay teams, 4x400m and 4x100m. The medal hopes for the 21st edition of the championship will highly rely on former medalist of Asian Championship Nadeeka Lakmali (Javelin Throw), experienced high jumper Manjula Kumara, Chaminda Wijekoon (1500m), Anjana Gunaratne (4x400m), Gayanthika Abeyratne (800m) and Chandrika Subhashini (400m).

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka team includes three school athletes in Himasha Eashan (100m), Rumeshika Rathnayake (100m) and Vidusha Lakshani (Triple Jump) and a highly competitive Asian meet in this calibre will give the opportunity to gain much needed exposure at this level.

The team also includes support staff of three coaches - a doctor and two physiotherapists apart from manager cum coach Badra Gunawardena.

Sri Lanka secured three medals in the last edition of the Asian championship as Nadeeka Lakmali and Sachith Maduranga won Silver in Javelin throw while men's 4x400m relay team secured a bronze medal. However, according to Gunawardena, Sri Lankan athletes will have to come up with their best to pose some kind of a threat to top athletes in the Asian level in Wuhan.

Sri Lankans can be proud of three of their greatest sprint stars ever, Sugath Thilakaratne, Damayanthi Darsha and Susanthika Jayasinghe, who still own unbroken Asian Championship records. The current president of the Sri Lanka Athletics Association Thilakaratne is the proud owner of 17-year old Asian Championship record for the men's 400 metres, set in Fukuoka in 1998 with a 44.61 second run.

Darsha and Jayasinghe both have clocked 22.84 seconds in the women's 200 metres to set the record. Darsha achieved the feat in 2000 at the Jakarta Games while Jayasinghe equaled the record two year later in Colombo.

Darsha had a much more successful run at the Jakarta Games, clocking 51.05 seconds in the women's 400 metres to own her second Asian record.

Sri Lanka team for the 21st Asian Athletics Championship

Men: Manjula Kumara (high jump), Himasha Eshan (100m, 4x100m), Suranjaya de Silva (200m, 4x100m), Sanjaya Jayasinghe (triple jump), Indunil Herath (800m), Lakshan Dayaratne (Javelin), Kalinga Kumara (400m, 4x400m), Anjana Gunaratne (4x400m), Dilip Ruwan (4x400m), Chanaka Jayasekera (4x400m), Danushka Karunaratne (4x400m), K.S. Somawardana (1,500m), Chaminda Wijekoon (5,000m), Mohamed Ashroff (4x100m), Shehan Ambepitiya (4x100m), Mohamed Rajaskhan (4x100m).

Women: Nadeeka Lakmali (Javelin), Vidusha Lakshani (Triple jump), Nimali Liyanarachchi (800m), T.G.N.D. Wickramasinghe (400m hurdles), Gayanthika Abeyratne (800m), Chandrika Subashini (400m), Rumeshika Ratnayake (100m).

Officials: Badra Gunawardena (Manager cum Coach), Chaminda Perera (Coach), S.N. Abeysekara (coach), Philip Ranjith (Coach), Pradeep Nishantha (Coach), Dr. Dhammika Senanayake (Doctor on tour), Anura Ranjith (Physio) and Nimal Jayaratne (Physio).