Junior National Athletics Championships :Tharushi continues record breaking spree

by Reemus Fernando

Young prospect Tharushi Karunaratne knocked off yet another record of her senior training partner and alumni of Ratnayake Central, Walala Dilshi Kumarasinghe as she continued to up her profile winning the Best Athlete title of her age category at the Junior National Athletics Championships concluded at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Friday.

Karunaratne who has reached qualifying standards for the upcoming World Junior Championships clocked 54.34 seconds to take two milliseconds off the Under 20 girls’ 400 metres meet record held by Kumarasinghe. She was the only athlete to clock sub 55 seconds in her race as Kavindi Sanjana Edirisinghe who is competing for Visakha Vidyalaya now returned a time of 56.15 seconds to finish second.It was the second record of Kumarasinghe to fall at the hands of Karunaratne within months. She took Kumarasinghe’s National Junior Record in the same discipline with a 53.85 seconds feat at the Centenary Athletics Championships in April.

On Wednesday, Karunaratne came almost close to breaking Kumarasinghe’s 800 metres record (2:09.13secs) of the meet as she clocked 2:10.18 secs to win.Tharushi’s was not the only impressive 400 metres feat of the day as Nishendra Fernando won Sri Jayawardenapura University a rare gold in the Under 23 girls’ event as she returned a time of 54.96 seconds to erase Nirmali Madushika’s meet record.In the boys’ category, St. Peter’s athlete Hirusha Hashen’s wind assisted 7.76 metres performance in the Under 20 long jump earned him the Best Athlete title.

Winner’s of Best Athlete titles of Age Categories

Under 16 boys’

H.U Jayasinghe of Anuradhapura Central College (Shot Putt – 15.50m)

Under 16 girls’

Oshini Kavindya Kodikara of St. Lawrance’s Convent Col. (Long Jump- 5.53m)

Under 18 boys’

Jayawi Ranhindu Alwis of Royal College, Panadura (Shot Putt- 16.98m)

Under 18 girls’

Madushani Herath of Nannapurawa MV, Bibile (Long Jump – 5.98m)

Under 20 boys’

Hirusha Hashen of St. Peter’s College, Col. (Long Jump-7.76m)

Udder 20 girls’

Tharushi Karunaratne of Rathnayake Central Walala (400m -54.34 secs)

Under 23 boys’

W.T.K. Piyasiri of Sri Lanka Army (Long Jump- 7.76m)

Under 23 girls’

Shanika Lakshani of Sri Lanka Army (800m – 2:08.44secs)