Lankans pin their hopes on Shehan

By Chris DHAMBARAGE

GAMES: Sri Lanka will be banking on star athlete Shehan Ambepitiya for a medal when the third Commonwealth Youth Games gets under way at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune India today.

Ambepitiya, who recently became the only Sri Lankan to have competed in a Youth World Championship final when he took part in the 200 metres final, finishing seventh, will compete in the 100 and 200 metres and 4x100 metre-relay event along with Roshan Chamara Silva, Ranil Jayawardena, Keith de Mel and Ruwan Chmeera Peiris.

In addition Poramadulla MV athlete D. M. Nawaratne will compete in the 400 metres while Eranga de Silva of Sri Rahula College, Matara will compete in the triple jump. Ishani Edirisinghe is the only girl in the Sri Lankan team. The lass from Dambulla National School will compete in the women›s high jump event.

But the cynosure of all eyes will be on Shehan Abepitiya who has also received a scholarship to study and persevere athletics at the Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom through the mediation of the Athletic Association (AA) of Sri Lanka.

Ambepitiya did well to finish in the seventh place in the 100 metres finals of the IAAF Youth Athletic World Championships recently with a timing of 10.71 seconds. He also became the first Sri Lankan male athlete to run a final at a top world meet after Duncan White ran for a silver medal in the 1948 London Olympics.

The sprinter, coached by Sunil Gunawardne, produced his best timing in the 100 meters, with an impressive 10.51 seconds at the Asian Junior Championships which was held in Jakarta few weeks before the world championships. His main rivals of course will be from Jamaica who are expected to dominate the proceedings.

Meanwhile a colourful opening ceremony will mark the inauguration of the third Commonwealth Youth Games which will be declared open by the Indian President Pratibha Patil at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune, India today.

President Patil is also expected to unveil the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj near the main athletics stadium at the Balewadi Sports Complex.

Some of India›s top sporting personalities and entertainers will be present for this occasion including tennis player Sania Mirza's mother.

While Sania will not be able to attend the ceremony her mother Naseema is in the list of dignitaries including the sprint queen P. T. Usha, Karnam Malleshwari (weightlifting), Leander Paes (tennis), Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (shooting) and Anju Bobby George (long jump).

Also invited for the opening ceremony are India's Olympic medal winners. Abhinav Bindra, his parents and sister will be at the Games village for three days starting today.

The ace shooter, who earned India the first individual Olympic gold in Beijing, will take part in the last leg of the Youth Baton Relay with fellow Olympic medallists Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar.

Pugilist Akhil Kumar, who missed an Olympic medal by a whisker, will also join them. In addition playback singers Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghosal and Shankar Mahadevan will perform in today›s opening ceremony. Former athlete Milkha Singh and former India spinner Bishan Singh Bedi have been invited for the closing ceremony on October 18.