Rumeshika Ratnayake created history…..

Rumeshika Ratnayake created history when she smashed a 22-year old record by clocking 11.85 seconds in the girls’ under-20 heats of the Junior National Athletics Championships concluded at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Diyagama yesterday. The sprinter from St. Joseph’s BV Kegalle broke the previous record of 12.0 seconds which was set up even before she was born, by one of the most illustrious athletes in Lankan history, Damayanthi Darsha in 1993.

Ratnayake had a clear 12-metre lead over silver medalist and her schoolmate Chami Dewrandi Pallewatte who clocked 12.52 seconds which gave her a double triumph. Two days ago, Ratnayake achieved another amazing feat when she erased Damayanthi Darsha’s girls under 20, 200m record set 22 years ago (in 1993) at the 200m heats. She further improved her time in the final with a whopping 24.12 second run to win the gold.

The 100-metre finals at this year’s meet saw a huge improvement as two other 100-metre records were also broken. In the boys under-16 final, saw Sahan Thenuka Rajapaksha of St.Benedicts College, Colombo 13 clocking 11.11 seconds to set a new meet record. Few minutes later, in the boys under-20 final, TSPS Ekanayake of Sri Lanka Army clocked the best time of his event, 10.79 seconds to add the final meet record of the four day meet.

In the boys under-16 400 metres final, Abishek Alwis of Maris Stella College – Negombo clocked 49.91 secs to enter the record books. The under-18 boys’ 400 metres final also saw a record run when N Jayawardena of Gateway College – Colombo finished with a time of 49.05 seconds.

Earlier, young high jump star from Sri Lanka Army, DM Milan Dissanayaka cleared 2.15 metres to equal the exiting record.

The Junior Nationals were organized by the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka with the financial back up from Sports and Tourism Ministry. its Deputy Minister Wasantha Senanayake graced the presentation ceremony as the chief guest.

*****—

Final Day’s records

High Jump – Boys U-23

DM Milan Dissanayaka of SL Army -2.15 EMR

400 M – Boys U-16

Abishek Alwis of Maris Stella College – Negombo – 49.91 secs NMR

400 M- Boys U-18

N Jayawardena of Geteway College – Colombo – 49.05 secs NMR

100 M – Girls U-20

RM Rumeshika Kumari Ratnayake of St. Josep’s B.M.V – Kegalle – 11.88 secs NMR (11.85 secs in the heats)

100 M – Boys U-16

RP Sahan Thenuka Rajapaksha of St.Benedicts College, Colombo 13. – 11.11 secs NMR

100 M – Boys U-20

TSPS Ekanayake of Sri Lanka Army – 10.79 NMR

Junior National Championships

BEST ATHLETES

Girls Under-16

MK Prasadi Lakshani of Holy Cross College – Gampaha (Long Jump 5.40m)

Boys Under-16

Pramodh Madubash of Maris Stella College – Negombo (Long Jump 6.83m NMR)

Boys Under-18

U Chandrasena of Maris Stella College-Negombo (400m hurdles 53.38 sec NMR)

Girls Under-18

DMY Dulanjali of CP/H/Ambagamuwa Central College-Udabulathgama (400m hurdles 62.12sec NMR)

Girls Under-20

RM Rumeshika Kumari Ratnayake of St.Josep’s B.M.V – Kegalle (200m 24.12 sec NMR)

Boys Under-20

AVG Akila Ravishanka of Sivali Central College-Rathnapura (110m hurdles 14.40 sec)

LPG Dananjaya of St.Joseph Vaz College –Wennappuwa (Long Jump 7.34m)

Girls Under-23

KAS DulanjanI of SL Air Force (Triple Jump 12.76m NMR)

Boys under-23

UPAN Karunasinghe of SL Army (Triple Jump 15.95m NMR)

– See more at: http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=sports/rumeshika-erases-darsha-s-22-year-old-record#sthash.37YZOX68.dpuf