SL to field four member track and field team at Commonwealth Youth Games

by Reemus Fernando  

The track and field team for the Commonwealth Youth Games has been finalized with Ambagamuwa Central athlete Ayomal Akalanka heading a four member team inclusive of Asian Youth Championship medallists.

Hurdler Akalanka, Vijitha Central Dickwella high jumper Nilupul Pehesara and Wickramabahu National School, Gampola athlete Nirmali Wickramasinghe, who won medals at the recently held Asian Youth Athletics Championships and D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo high jumper Lesandu Arthavidu who won a medal at the 2022 edition of the same event are the athletes representing Sri Lanka at the multi sports games taking place in Port of Spain.

Sri Lanka Athletics was looking forward to field a bigger team inclusive of four boys who reached locally set qualifying standards and at least three girls who came almost closer to achieving the standards for the event in the capital of Trinidad and Tobago.

“There was a request from the National Olympic Committee to pick equal number of athletes from boys and girls categories. But in the girls’ category, no one reached qualifying standards that we set for this meet. When we were asked to prune down the squad we had to pick athletes who had performed well at regional international events. So there were only three boys and one girl who would fit that criteria,” said a senior official of Sri Lanka Athletics.

Ambagamuwa Central athlete Shalani Hansika who won both the long jump and the hurdles events at the recently held Junior National Athletics Championships and sprinter Jithma Wijethunga of Lyceum International, Wattala who also excelled at the same meet had been earlier picked in the team but will now miss the valuable opportunity.  In the boys’ category, Mahinda College sprinter Jathya Kirulu is unfortunate to miss the chance.

Nirmali Wickramasinghe is the only girl in the team now. Competing with an injury the Wickramabahu National School athlete won a bronze medal in the girls’ 800 metres at the Asian Youth Championships held in Uzbekistan. However, it will be an uphill task for her in Port of Spain as some of the best athletes in the world in her age category are set to compete there.

Hurdler Akalanka is the highest ranked athlete picked in the team. The athlete trained by veteran track and field coach Anura Bandara produced a huge personal best performance to settle for a bronze at the Asian Youth Championships. His outstanding performance of 51.40 seconds in the 400 metres hurdles is the fourth fastest time in the world in the Under 18 age category so far this year.