Sri Lanka team set to leave for World Championships today  

By Reemus Fernando  

Sri Lanka’s seven-member track and field team, (the largest since 2013) for the World Athletics Championship were set to leave for Budapest today. The World Championship will commence on Saturday.

The men’s 4×400 metres relay team, the Champions of the Asian region, inclusive of Aruna Dharshana and Kalinga Kumarage are the second fastest men’s 4×400 metres relay team in the world this season.

Their performances at the recent Asian Championship have earned them due recognition ahead of the global event, though that does not guarantee a final berth.

Dharshana is the only male athlete taking part in an individual event- men’s 400 metres- after the sprinter finished among the top 48 in the Road to Budapest Rankings to secure his passage to the biennial event.

Kumarage missed out on that valuable opportunity but will be eager to deliver a strong performance in the relays. The duo are joined by Rajitha Rajakaruna and Pabasara Niku who were the members of the team that established the Asian Championship record and Pasindu Kodikara and Dinuka Deshan.

Javelin thrower Dilhani Lekamge is the only female athlete in the team after Gayanthika Abeyratne pulled out to concentrate on her training for the Asian Games.

Lekamge, who won the bronze medal of her pet event with a new Sri Lanka record mark at the Asian Championships booked her berth by finishing among the top athletes in the Road to Budapest rankings.

The team is accompanied by Rajitha Rajakaruna’s coach Olympian Harjan Rathnayaka as team coach. Irangani Rupasinghe is joining the contingent as an official.

The team manager Ajitha Naragala will not be leaving with the team. According to Sri Lanka Athletics sources he is set to join the team later.