Akalanka tops list as four athletes reach qualifying standards

Asian Youth Athletics Championships- Selection Trial

by Reemus Fernando

Ambagamuwa MV hurdler Ayomal Akalanka continued the trend set by the former students of his school as he reached qualifying standards for the Asian Youth Athletics Championships at Diyagama on Tuesday.

The athlete trained by veteran coach Anura Bandara clocked an impressive 52.18 seconds to win the boys’ 400 metres hurdles. Reigning champion of the Under 18 400 m hurdles in all three major national events, namely, the Junior Nationals, Sir John Tarbat Senior Championships and the All Island Schools Games, Akalanka bettered the locally set qualifying standard by nearly two seconds to book the ticket to Uzbekistan where the fifth edition of the Asian Youth Championship will be held in April.

Akalanka is the latest hurdler from his school to earn qualifying standards to represent Sri Lanka at an international event. He follows in the footsteps of Yamani Dulanjali who won gold in the girls’ 400m hurdles at the inaugural edition of the Asian Youth Championships in Doha in 2015 and Dhanuka Dharshana, who represented the country at last year’s World Junior Championships.

Akalanka had little competition in winning yesterday as the second-placed Shashintha Silva of St. Sebastian’s College, Kandana clocked 55.98 seconds.

D.S.Senanayake College,Colombo athlete Lesandu Arthavidu who won a medal at the last edition of the Asian Youth Championships cleared the two metres mark to reach qualifying standards in the boys’ high jump. Nilupul Pehesara Thenuja of Vijitha Central, Dickwella also cleared the same height to emerge as yet another prospect.

In the boys’ pole vault, Maris Stella College,Negombo athlete Malindarathna Silva cleared 4.65 metres to match standards.

In the girls’ category, Nirmali Wickramasinghe of Wickramabahu National School Gampola came almost close to matching the qualifying standard in the girls’ 800 metres as she finished in a time of 2:15.80 seconds (qualifying standard 2:15.50secs).

She will be competing to match standards in the 1500 metres today.