Sri Lanka win four medals at Asian Youth Athletics Championships

by Reemus Fernando  

Ambagamuwa Central hurdler Ayomal Akalanka achieved a massive personal best to win the bronze medal of the boys’ 400 metres hurdles as the Sri Lankan contingent increased their medal haul to two silvers and two bronzes by the fourth day of the Asian Youth Athletics Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Sunday.

The athlete trained by veteran coach Anura Bandara clocked 51.40 seconds to settle for the bronze behind Qatari and Indian athletes yesterday. Mahamat Akbar of Qatar won the event in a time of 50.91 seconds, while India’s Bapi Sansda finished second in a time of 51.38.

“It was a huge improvement of his personal best and a big accomplishment and will augur well for him to climb up in the world rankings,” Bandara, who did not travel with his trainee, told The Island yesterday.

At the selection trial held in February at Diyagama, Akalanka had clocked 52.87 seconds to reach the qualifying standard.  Maris Stella College, Negombo athlete Thushen Silva and Vijitha Central Dickwella high jumper Nilupul Pehesara won silver medals earlier in the meet, while Wickramabahu National School, Gampola athlete Nirmali Wickramasinghe clinched a bronze on Saturday.

Running with a hamstring injury, Wickramasinghe settled for bronze in the girls’ 800 metres with a 2:17.04 seconds finish. The race was dominated by China’s Li Yaxuan, who clocked 2:10.47 seconds for her gold. Taipei’s Chen Jie-an clocked 2:12.59 seconds to finish second.

Pehesara won the silver medal in the boys’ high jump with a height of 2.01 metres. Kim Hyeansik of Korea also cleared the same height but at 1.99 metres he took two attempts against Pehesara’s single. Ismailov Devdavs of Uzbekistan won the gold with a height of 2.06 metres.

In a rare field event achievement, Thushen Silva won the silver medal in the pole vault with a Sri Lanka Youth record height of 4.70 metres. It was the first time since 1951 that a Sri Lankan had won a medal at an Asian competition in pole vault. M.A. Akbar won a silver medal in pole vault at the Asian Games in 1951. He cleared 3.69 metres.Incidentally, Silva left for the biennial event without poles after officials failed to provide additional funds for airfreight of poles. He competed with a borrowed pole from a Kazakhstani counterpart.