Medhani qualifies for World Junior Championships

Country’s women’s 4×100 metres relay team (from left). Safia Yamic (ran in the heats), Medhani Jayamanne, Lakshika Sughandi, Amasha de Silva and Shelinda Jansen.

by Reemus Fernando

Lumbini College sprinter Medhani Jayamanne once got an earful from her famous aunt Susanthika Jayasinghe for mentioning her name during a media interview. From then on her coach Umanga Surendra has taken extra care. Whenever a journalist speaks to her, Umanga would request them to be careful in mentioning the Olympian’s name. Yesterday Jayamanne qualified for the World Junior Athletics Championship with a stunning 24.08 seconds feat in the women’s 200 metres final at the 60th Interstate Athletics Championship in Patiala India. “Now anyone would be proud of her performance,” Umanga told The Island after her triumph.

Just more than an hour after anchoring country’s women’s 4×100 metres team to silver Jayamanne breasted the finish line of the 200 metres in a time of 24.08 seconds to win silver and also to achieve qualifying standards for the World event in Kenya. According to Sri Lanka Athletics statistician Saman Kumara, it is the fourth fastest time by a Sri Lankan junior athlete in history. She overtook Rumeshika Ratnayake to take the fourth place in a list dominated by Jayasinghe, Damayanthi Dharsha and present sprinter Shelinda Jansen with whom she shared the relay silver yesterday.

While Shelinda clocked 24.07 seconds at the Youth Olympics, Rumeshika’s fastest time as a junior was 24.09 seconds. Rumeshika was the only absentee among country’s future female sprinters who produced a good performance in the 4×100 metres relay yesterday.

Sri Lanka conceded the women’s 4×100 metres gold medal to India in the home straight but there was lot to take heart from the spirited performance as the team returned a time of 44.55 seconds, the fastest feat in nearly two decades on the final day of the 60th Interstate Athletics Championship where the country’s team was competing on India’s invitation.

India anchored by Dutee Chand took the advantage of a poor baton change in the last exchange zone by Sri Lankans to win the gold. India clocked 44.15 seconds. Sri Lankans finished in a time of 44.55 seconds as teenager Jayamanne failed to regain the lost ground. Sri Lanka were given a promising start by Lakshika Sughandi and national champion in the 100 metres Amasha de Silva and Shelinda Jansen sprinted fast enough for Sri Lanka to enter the home stretch as leaders. But inexperienced Jayamanne conceded the lead as she turned back to collect the baton. But she soon overcame the gloom as she bettered the target qualifying time (24.35 secs) in the 200 metres.