Lekamge on verge of Olympic Berth
Javelin Queen, Dilhani Lekamge will be now eyeing history as she clinched the Gold medal with a performance of 55.77 meters at the 102nd National Athletics Championship which continued for the second day two at Diyagama .
Her performance earned her 1100 points, boosting her average ranking to 1157.6 points. This achievement places her excitingly close to securing a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Currently ranked 30th in the Road to Paris Olympic ranking list, Lekamge is poised to leap to the 23rd position after this stellar showing. She now stands as the highest-ranked Sri Lankan athlete on the list, positioning herself closest to that elusive Olympic berth.
During the qualification period for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Lekamge set a national record with a personal best throw of 61.57 meters, winning the Silver medal at the Asian Games in China last year. Notably, she also achieved a distance of 60.93 meters, securing the Asian Athletics Championship bronze medal in Bangkok the same year.
The cutoff date for Olympic qualification is June 30th, and athletes from around the world are competing fiercely in various International and National competitions. World Athletics will finalize the qualification list after the 30th.
Darshana seals 400M Title
In the Men’s 400m, Aruna Darshana maintained his dominance, emerging as the sole athlete to clock a sub-46-second time. Despite challenging weather conditions at Diyagama, Darshana sprinted to victory with an impressive time of 45.51 seconds, showcasing a sizzling sprint in the home stretch. Kalinga Kumarage finished second with a time of 46.38 seconds.
Women’s 400M: Ramanayaka Reigns
Nadeesha Ramanayaka secured yet another national title by clocking 53.37 seconds in the women’s 400m where she was hardly challenged. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sayuri Mendis achieved a significant personal best of 53.60 seconds to finish second. Mendis shaved 0.52 seconds off her previous best of 54.12 seconds, breaking the sub-54-second barrier. Nishendra Fernando also clocked a personal best of 54.29 seconds to finish third.
Women’s 100M: Muthukumarana Triumphs
In the women’s 100m, a new National champion emerged as Thilakshi Muthukumarana won the event with a swift time of 12.06 seconds. She outpaced seasoned campaigners Amasha de Silva and Lakshika Sugandhi, who finished second and third, respectively.
