by Chinthana Wasala for Observer Online
Hosts Sri Lanka bagged three gold medals at the third and final stages of the Asian Grand Prix athletic meeting worked off at Sugatadasa Stadium today. Javelin thrower Nadeeka Lakmali completed her unbeaten run with hat-trick of gold medals in her pet event, having won the first two legs in Thailand.
Lakmali cleared 58.41, her best in the series, to win the gold medal today. She threw a distance of 56.83 m to win the only gold medal for Sri Lanka at Thamasat University Ground at the first leg. She cleared a distance of 55.99 m in the second leg.
Besides Lanmali, the other two athletes who won gold medals for Sri Lanka today were high jumper Manjula Kumara and middle distance runner W.K.L. Nimali. Kumara won the mens high jump gold clearing 2.24 m.
W.K.L Nimali came first in finished 1st place in the Women’s 800 meters event by clocking in a time of 2 minutes and 5.92 seconds, giving Sri Lanka its third Gold Medal in the 3rd Stage of the championship today. It was Nimalis second gold in this years Asian Grand Prix Series, having won the stage two.
Nimali, the golden girl for Sri Lanka on the Chonburi track, repeated her good work in Colombo, winning the womens 800 metres final clocking 2 minutes 5.90 seconds, nearly two seconds faster than her run in Chonburi, four days ago. Vietnams only athlete in action at the 2013 Asian Grand Prix, do Thi Thao won her third silver medal in the series while Kazakhstans Liliya Bazyaruk finished third. However the other Sri Lankan competitor in the event, Shanika Samanmali who won the bronze medal in Chonburi, failed to book a podium finish, being placed fourth clocking 2 minutes 7.91 seconds.
In the mens 400 metres final, Indian Ragiv Arokai won the gold medal with 46.63 seconds ahead of silver medalist Kasun Kalhara Senevirathne (46.84 seconds) and bronze medalist Kalinga Kumara (47.31 seconds). Other Sri Lankans in action in the mens 400 metres, T H D Priyashantha and K C M Jayasekara finished fourth and fifth with 47.31 seconds and
47.34 seconds respectively.
Lankan javelin thrower Sachith Maduranga won a silver for the first time in the 2013 Asian Grand Prix Series, clearing 73.99 metres behind gold medalist Huang Shih Feng of Chinese Taipei who cleared 75.85 metres. Waruna Lakshan Dayarathne threw his best in this series, 72.32 metres and was placed fifth. Incidentally, the gold medalist in the Chonburi leg, Uzbekistan’s Bobur Shokrojonov was placed last.
In the mens 5000 metres, it was a similar result to that of the first leg of the AGP, when two Indians Nitendra Singh and Keta Ram were first and second respectively while Sri Lankas DL Samarajeewa occupied the third place on the podium. Samarajeewa had bettered his timing to finish the event in 14 minutes 43.15 seconds but was but theresult was the same as in Bangkok.
Chinese men were the fastest in the 4x100 metres relay, clocking 39.63 seconds in the mens A group final. In the 4x100 metres mens B final, Chinese Taipei were victorious with 39.89 seconds while India securing the second place clocking 40.14 seconds. Sri Lankan team consist of Mohomed Safran, R A Hasaranga, A C Nadeeshan and Shehan Ambepitiya, filled the third slot, clocking 40.22 seconds.
In the womens Super Eight 100 metres sprint, Jani Chaturangani clocked 11.95 seconds to finish fourth. Kazakhstans Victoria Zyabikina won the gold medal, clocking 11.69 seconds. Veteran Uzbekistans Guzel Khubbieva won her third silver in the AGP, clocking 11.70 seconds. In Group B of the womens 100 metres, Sujani Buddhika spent 12.31 seconds to win the second place while W N Nadeeshani spent 12.40 seconds to be placed third in Group C.
Omans Al Harithi Barakat was the fastest man in the third leg of the AGP, clocking 10.45 seconds in the mens 100 metres Group A in a photo-finish. Chinas Guo Fan also clocked 10.45 seconds was a fraction of second behind Barakat. Three Lankan ran in the Group C event of the 100 metres sprint, in which Mohamed Safran finished second with 10.74 seconds. A C Nadeeshan clocked 10.98 seconds while R.M. G. Chamara wasted 11.27 seconds to finish in sixth and eighth slots respectively.
Lankan women high jumpers failed to impress once again and Priyangika Madumanthi and Tharanga Vinodani both were only able to clear 1.75 metres to finish sixth and seventh respectively while Uzbekistans Nadiya Dusanova leaped 1.93 metres to win the gold. In the mens triple jump, G C N Gamage (15.61 metres), I D S S Jayasinghe (15.56 metres), Eranga Dinesh Fernando (15.51 metres) and Dulan Niranjan (15.31metres) occupied the last four slots. The womens 400 metres, an event which Sri Lanka had high hopes on winning the gold medal with Chandrika Subhashini, was once again turned in favour of India. Raju Pooramma of India won her third gold medal in the AGP, clocking 53.30 seconds while Rakhmanova of Kazakhstan and Anu Nariom Jose of India finished second and third respectively. Sri Lankans B D G Rathnakumari and E W U Rathnakumari were placed fourth and fifth respectively.