Dilshi Shatters 800m SL Record

South Asian Games (SAG) triple Gold Medallist Dilshi Kumarasinghe, smashed the five-year-old Sri Lanka record for the 800m, clocking 02 minutes 02.52 seconds at the National and Junior National trials concluded at Sugathadasa Stadium .

Dilshi, the defending National champion in the 800m, has been in prime form since 2019, and when she beat National 400m champion Nadeesha Ramanayaka on Wednesday it was evident that the 800m Sri Lanka record was likely to be broken by Friday.

Unlike previous occasions, Dilshi did not wait for someone else to be the pacemaker in the 800m, and showed confidence in leading from the front to smash the record set by Gayanthika Abeyrathne in 2016 (02:2.55 seconds). Meanwhile, junior 800m runner Shanika Lakshani clocked 02 minutes 07.02 seconds to finish fifth in the senior event, while achieving World Junior Championship qualification standard.

Nadeesha Ramanayaka, who was beaten in her pet event, won the 200m with a personal best of 24.28 seconds. The race also saw teenager Medhani Jayamanne (Olympian Susanthika Jayasinghe’s niece), clocking a personal best of 24.60 seconds to finish second.

In the men’s 200m, Mohammad Safan upset defending National Champion Kalinga Kumarage clocking 20.81 seconds, which is his personal best. In doing so, Safan will be elevated to the elite pool, whose entry standard is 21.00.