Sumedha qualifies for Asian Games with 81.79M Throw

Olympian Sumedha Ranasinghe recorded the second best feat of his career in the Javelin with a throw of 81.79m to achieve qualification standard for the Asian Games at the 2nd Asian Games trials which commenced at Mahinda Rajapaksa stadium Diyagama .

Sumedha who set the Sri Lanka record of 83.03m in 2015, became the first Sri Lankan Javelin Thrower to qualify for the Olympics and competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but did not have a great outing thereafter. But on Thursday at the new venue, Ranasinghe returned to the range of his former best throw, while also achieving the elite pool qualification standard of 80.50m.

Extreme heat at the stadium did not help the athletes’ cause, while both men and women 100m finals suffered from unfavourable wind. Rumeshika Rathnayaka sealed the 100m women’s title in 11.84 seconds, turning tables on recent champion Amasha de Silva in a photo finish. Amasha also clocked in at 11.84 seconds. Chamod Yodasinghe sealed the men’s 100m title.

The 400m Women’s final saw two World Junior qualifications, as Tharushi Karunarathne stunned the arena by winning the senior women’s 400m race with a personal best of 54.29 seconds, thus meeting the World Junior Athletics Championship qualification standard of 55.20 sec. Third placed H.J. Uththara, too, achieved the qualification standard clocking 55.19 seconds.

Aruna Darshana returned to the track after missing out the first trial to easily win the 400m clocking 46.37 seconds, while second placed junior athlete Sithum Jayasundara clocked 47.33 seconds to achieve qualification standard for the World Junior Championship. Sithum first clocked 47.39 second in the heats to achieve the qualification standard of 47.60 sec, before lowering the time further in the final.

Jaffna’s A. Puvitharan leapt a personal best of 5.10m in the Pole Vault to upset National record holder Ishara Sandaruwan, while Chamal Kumarasiri leapt 16.29m to win the men’s Triple Jump.

Results

Men

10,000m: 1. M.U. Kumara 31:39.04 sec, 2. A.L. Sirimanna 31:50.72 sec, 3. V.D. Kariyawasam 31:54.55 sec

1,500m: 1. Sanjeewa Lakmal 3:58.5 sec, 2. R.M. Nifras 3:59.1 sec, 3. N.C. Wijesinghe 3:59.1 sec

 Javelin Throw: 1. Sumedha Ranasinghe 81.79m, 2. Sampath Ranasinghe 73.94m, 3. R.M. Fernando 70.1m

 Pole Vault: 1. A. Puvitharan 5.10m, 2. Ishara Sandaruwan 5.00m,  3. S.E. Janith 4.9m

400m: 1. Aruna Darshana 46.37 sec, 2. Sithum Jayasundara 47.33 sec, 3. V.D. Deshan 47.64 sec

 100m: 1. Chamod Yodasinghe 10.65 sec, 2. Chanuka Dharmakeerthi 10.87 sec, 3. Mohammad Safan 10.94 sec

 Triple Jump: 1. Chamal Kumarasiri 16.29m, 2. S.K. Kumara 15.86m ,3. Pasindu Malshan 15.62m

 Women

 5000m: 1. Madushani Herath 17:44.83 sec, 2. K.K. Sugathapala 18:00.37 sec, 3. S.N. Bandara 18:13.89 sec

1500m: 1. M.A. Kumari 4:42.72 sec , 2. A.N. Sanjeewani 4:48.92 sec, 3. A.S. Kumari 5:19.25 sec

 Shot Put: 1. Tarika Fernando 13.49m, 2. P.A.P. Kumari 11.73m, 3. P.S. Clarance 11.27m

 Long Jump: 1. Anjani Pulwansa 5.98m, 2. Ridma Abeyrathne 5.91m, 3. H.N. Megawarna 5.88m

 400m: 1. Tharushi Karunarathne 54.29 sec, 2. Nadeesha Ramanayaka 54.88 sec, 3. H.J. Uththara 55.19 sec

 100m: 1. Rumeshika Rathnayaka 11.84 sec, 2. Amasha de Silva 11.84 sec, 3. Medhani Jayamanne 11.95 sec

 Discus Throw: 1. V.V. Lakmali 40.58m, 2. M.P. Perera 40.15m, 3. S.K. Weerasekara 38.82m

 High Jump: 1. R.P. Gamage 1.68m, 2. Saumya Madushani 1.61m, 3. R.K. Perera 1.61m