Hiruni arrives to spice up competition -97th National Championship – WOMEN’S EVENT PREVIEW
The 97th National Athletics Championship scheduled to be held on 16–18 August at Sugathadasa Stadium Colombo will also double as the final selection trials for the upcoming South Asian Games 2019 to be held on 01-10 December inKathmandu, Nepal.
Since the newly instituted SAG ruling intended to curb the dominance of Sri Lanka and India on the winners’ podium limits participation in any and all events to one athlete per country (excludingthe host nation), the competition will be stiffer and more severe than ever before as only the first place winner will get the chance to represent the country in the SAG – guaranteeing titanic clashes among top-class athletes to cull the cream of the crop.
Women’s Events Preview
US-based distance runner Hiruni Wijayarathne, who is competing for the first time in a Sri Lanka track event, will be the cynosure of all eyes at the NAC.
The full roster of events:
100m
Young Shelinda Jansen enjoyed emphatic wins at the senior athletics meet held earlier this year, winning both trials; while her junior team members Sharmila Jan and Safiya Yamic too finished within the top four on both occasions. However, the country’s fastest female runner Rumeshika Rathnayaka and Asian Junior 100m silver medalist Amasha de Silva were missing from those trials, while heptathlete and SAG 4x100m gold medal winning relay team member Lakshika Sugandhi did not compete in the final trial.
Rumeshika will be aiming to recover her sprint queen crown while 18-year old Shelinda will try to maintain her winning position, and many will vie to finish within the top five to get into the 4x100m relay team. Young Safiya Yamic who finished third in the last trial will be hampered by having to travel back and forth between Kandy and Colombo to balance her participation in the championship with Advance Level exam preparations.
200m
It was a duel between Sharmila Jan and Shelinda Jansen in the 200m during first two trials of 2019, with both of them winning one trial each; but in the NAC they will again have to deal with the return of 2017 Asian Championship silver medalist Rumeshika Rathnayaka and 2018 Asian Junior silver medalist Amasha de Silva. If 400m champion Nadeesha Ramanayaka decides to run the 200m things will get even more interesting, as only one athlete will enter the SAG squad.
400m
Nadeesha Ramanayaka , the fourth place finisher at the 2019 Asian Championship is the firm favourite for the title. But she will be closely challenged by 20-year old Dilshi Kumarasinghe, the Asian Junior bronze medalist who ran a superb sub-53 seconds lap in the second leg of the Asian Championship in Qatar to chase down and pass the baton before Poovamma Raju, India’s most experienced 400m runner, helping her team to erase a 20-year old national record. Former national champion Upamali Rathnakumari will also come into the mix to further increase the competition, where the winner would likely record a sub-53 second time for the first time since Chandika Subashini achieved that feat.
800m
Two experienced campaigners, Nimali Liyanarachchi and Gayanthika Abeyrathne will be battling each other once again in the 800m final, but this time they will be contending with 20-year old Dilshi Kumarasinghe as well, and judging by the latter’s performance at the Asian Championship it will be no surprise if she makes a giant stride forward in her pet event at the nationals.
1500m
A fierce battle between training mates Gayanthika Abeyrathne and Nilani Rathnayaka will be up in the 1500m, while SL record holder Champika Dilrukshi and former 3000m Steeplechase record holder Eranga Dulakshi will fire up the contest.
3000m Steeplechase
Sri Lanka record holder Nilani Rathnayaka will find herself in a lone race during her pet event as there’s no one who could come close to her performance in the event. It things unfold as planned, the only question will be whether she will be able to clock the qualifying time for the World Championship without a worthy antagonist to pace her race.
5000m/10000m
US-based marathoner Hiruni Wijayarathne has returned to Sri Lanka and will run in a national track and field competition here for the first time, with her sights set on winning a distance double. She already holds the 10000m SL record and has represented Sri Lanka at the Asian Games in the 10000m, and will want both the SL records to her name. She will be challenged by several local distance runners and will have to cope with the heat in Colombo as well.
100m Hurdles
Once again it will be a tussle between former national champion Ireshani Rajasinghe and defending national champion Lakshika Sugandhi. Sugandhi who used to take part in many events during the heptathlon, including the 100m hurdles and 100m sprint, will opt to concentrate on these two events in the nationals: with an eye to grabbing a slot in the SAG 4x100m relay team as well as in the 100m hurdles event. Ireshani, the 2016 SAG bronze medalist will be aiming to make it into the SAG squad for the second time; but has been beaten by Sugandhi in both their last meetings.
400m Hurdles
Front runners Shayama Dulani and Kaushalya Madushani will battle it out once again in the 400m hurdles, with both athletes aiming to better the 59 seconds mark in the event. It has been a seesaw contest between the two thus far, with Shayama – the defending national champion – winning the first trial but being beaten by Kaushalya in the second trial in March. A slip in timings during the final selection trials in March meant that neither got the nod to compete in the Asian Championship, but Shayama bounced back to form clocking her personal best of 59.73 seconds to win the Army Volunteers meet a few days later. She will be hoping to make it into her first ever SAG team, while 2016 SAG bronze medalist Kaushalya is targeting her second. Meanwhile, former national champion Nadee Wickramasinghe and Asian Youth Championship bronze medalist Amasha Hettiarachchi of Viharamahadevi Girls’ College Kandy will be seeking to create an upset.
Long Jump
The women’s long jump event promises to be a thrilling battle to watch as former Junior star Sarangi Silva once again takes the measure of Anjani Pulawansa at the trials. Defending national champion Anjani took the honours in the first trial with a leap of 6.07m, while Sarangi won the second trial with a personal best of 6.12m. The last time the duo met it was Anjani who once again came on top, keeping her cool while Sarangi failed to get a single legal leap to her name. Yet a few days later at lone trials for the Army – without wind gauges – Sarangi leapt 6.29m: foreshadowing a thrilling clash at the NAC.
Triple Jump
Vidusha Lakshani rose to fame in April as she conjured up a moment of joy for a grieving nation when she won Sri Lanka’s only medal at the Asian Championship: competing with the agony of having her home town bombed by terrorists. Wearing a black arm band on her right arm the triple jumper leaped a season’s best of 13.53m and is the firm favorite to seal another national title and get into her second SAG team.
Her closest competitor will be her longtime training mate Hashini Balasooriya. Earlier, both Vidusha and Hashini trained under Philip Ranjith during their junior careers and now train together under Cuban coach Luis Miranda. Vidusha has stayed one jump ahead in training, with Hashini struggling to juggle both training and University life; but Hashini wasn’t at her peak when she beat Vidusha last year during National Sports Festival and she will be determined to repeat that performance at the NAC.
High Jump
Former SAG gold medalist Dulanjali Ranasinghe won this event at both trials this year, clearing 1.70m and 1.74m, and will be the favourite to win the nationals once again and book a berth in the SAG team. Former Gateway student Randi Cooray placed second in both trials and will be keen to finally mount to the top of the podium, while young Ishara Pallegama too will be aiming to make her mark in the nationals.
Pole Vault
Former gymnast turned pole vaulter Sachini Perera and Jaffna’s vaulting queen Anitha Jegatheswaran were adjudged joint champions at the 2018 nationals, but neither will be content to share the honours this year. Sachini has been in good form, winning the senior trials earlier this year, while Sri Lanka record holder Anitha has the potential for a higher vault. Both will be pressed hard by second place finisher in both the nationals and trials Lakrani Perera, who will be eyeing an upset.
Shot Put/Discus/Hammer Throw
Ishara Madurangi’s return to form has upped the level of competition in the women’s discus throw, while the hammer throw crown has been passed from head to head in recent times with Ayesha Maduwanthi, Aruni Lakshika and Manoji Amarasinghe taking turns wearing it. The shot put event has been a one-sided affair for the last few seasons with Tharika Fernando dominating the field.
With Ayesha Maduwanthi leaving to Australia for further studies, it’s up to Aruni and Manoji to keep breaking the hammer throw national record as the trio has been doing the past few years; while Ishara, who did not win during this year’s trials, will be looking for a winning performance in the discus throw. Tharika once again is the favourite to win the nationals and make it into her second SAG team.
Javelin Throw
Dilhani Lekamge has been Sri Lanka’s go-to female javelin thrower in the post-2016 SAG era, winning the silver medal in the 2017 Asian Championship and finishing within the best eight in the 2018 Commonwealth Games; but injuries and the passing away of her longtime coach A.J. Rodrigo resulted in a slip in her performance and she has been struggling to achieve the 58m mark for quite some time now. Yet she managed to win last year’s nationals and both the first and second trials earlier this year. Sri Lanka’s only Olympian in the female javelin throw, Dilhani has been losing to her former training mate Nadeeka since 2017, even though she won at last year’s National Sports Festival competing on a grass track. However, her short step throw of 54m during the Army trials a few days back was an indication of the veteran’s returning to form, and with the SAG just around the corner Nadeeka and Dilhani will engage in a thrilling clash for the javelin throw spot on the team.
