Artillery Regiment regains Army Athletics title

Former Champions, Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) Regiment finally received their due reward after playing bridesmaid to Electronic and Mechanical Engineering (SLEME) Regiment for years, when they emerged champions of the 57th Army Athletics Championship concluded at Sugathadasa Stadium under the patronage of Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva.

Nilani Rathnayaka who won the 3000m steeplechase was adjudged most outstanding female athlete, while 100m sprinter Himasha Eashan was adjudged best male athlete.

Sachini Perera who set a new Sri Lanka record in the pole vault received a special award and financial aid. The five-day competition saw one Sri Lanka record, three Army records and 14 Meet records tumbling, but the heavy schedule also took a toll on athletes with several of them finding it hard to cope, while top quarter miler Aruna Darshana was stretchered off after an injury after running several rounds of relays, 200m and 400m within a short span of time.

On the final day, Amasha de Silva broke Susanthika Jayasinghe’s 27-yearold Army meet record clocking 11.67 seconds to win the 100m finals. In the morning Pabasara Nilu ran a new personal best clocking 46.36 seconds to win the men’s 400m title, while 800m gold medalist Harsha Karunarathne finished second. Roshan Ranathunga who won the high jump earlier, returned to his pet event the 110m hurdles, where he set a new meet record of 13.91 seconds to win the event, while Samith Fernando won the Shot Put with a new meet record of 16.60m. Sarangi Silva won her pet event, the Long Jump, with a new meet record of 6.14m, while Nadeesha Ramanayaka had light work winning the 400m in a time of 54.54 seconds.