Records tumble as Gampaha District emerge champs…..

A total of 13 new meet records were established while Gampaha District bagged major honours to carry away the overall championship of the 27th National Youth Sports Festival while Kurunegala and Colombo Districts finished second and third respectively at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Diyagama, Homagama yesterday.

Long jumper Danushka Sandaruwan and triple jumpers Vidusha Lakshani and Chamal Kumarasiri showed their excellence during the rain hit final day at Diyagama to claim the best athlete titles of their respective age groups.

University of Sri Jayewardenepura undergraduate Sandaruwan who represented Gampaha District, cleared 7.78 metres in the men’s over 20 long jump to rewrite the record books to seal the over-20 best male athlete’s award to warm up ahead of the South Asian Games trials to be worked off in three weeks time.

Asian Youth Championship Silver medalist, Chamal Kumarasiri (Gampaha District), continued his record breaking streak when he cleared 15.67 metres in the boys under-20 triple jump to set a new meet record, and sealed the boys under 20 best athlete’s award.

The women’s triple jump National record holder Vidusha Lakshani who represented Gampaha District was not at her best, but managed to win the gold medal with her jump of 12.84 metres which was more than enough for her to seal the girls under-20 best female athlete’s award.

Sprint star Chandrika Rasnayake of Kurunegala District who won triple gold medals in the 200m, 400m and was part of the 4×400 metres relay team, enjoyed her second consecutive women’s over 20 best athlete award, following her record breaking performance of 54.31 seconds in the women’s 400 metres event. All four best athletes were awarded motor cycles each.

Apart from the above mentioned two jumping records, Gampaha District men’s over 20 and under 20 4x400m relay teams set new meet records on the day (2:16.53 sec and 3:22.30 sec).

In the other event of the day, Kurunegala District athlete Nishanthi Dilhani Fernando sealed her third gold medal when she won the girls’ under-20 1500 metres final. She was the winner of under-10 women’s 400 metres and 800 metres finals too.

Kegalle District produced the fastest athlete of the meet when H.L. Minimuthu clocked 10.96 seconds to win the men’s under-20 100 metres final, while Ranmini Madushika of Gampaha District clocked 12.49 seconds to win the women’s over-20 100 metres and become the fastest woman of the three-day championship.