KitSports » Chandrika Rasnayake

Records tumble as Gampaha District emerge champs…..

kit-sports editor — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 01:28:56 +0000

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.

Dilhani shocks Yamani …

kit-sports editor — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 01:14:19 +0000

Middle distance specialist Dilhani Fernando turned the tables on Asian Youth Championship gold medalist Yamani Dulanjali in the girls under 20 400m, while 6 new meet records were set on the second day of the 27th National Youth Athletics Championship continued at Diyagama yesterday. Fernando clocked 58.33 seconds as she sealed her second Gold while Dulanjali faced a shock defeat, although it appeared that Dulanjali was suffering from a hamstring injury.

National 400m champion, Chandrika Rasnayake renewed her own record with a time of 54.31 seconds to win her second Gold medal of the meet in the women’s over 20 400m. She was given stiff competition by Upamali Rathnakumari who finished second in 54.86seconds.

National javelin throw champion Sumedha Ranasinghe threw 75.84m in the men’s over 20 javelin throw to set a new meet record, where he erased the record set by D.S. Ranasinghe of 72.42m in 2013 at Polonnaruwa.

In the under 20 boys 10000m the top three finishers clocked better timing than the previous record. The event was won by K.L. Pamode with a time of 32 minutes 53.93 seconds which erased the meet record set by him in the last edition of the festival.
In other events of the day A.P. Jayawardene (Discus throw – 47.85m) and K.L. Samarasinghe (400m – 48.67) set new meet records in the under 20 boys category.
Shanika Dulakshi clocked 15.50 seconds to set a new meet record in the under 20 girls 100m hurdles.

Cooray leaves to Kenya on 25th

kit-sports editor — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 01:49:19 +0000

Double Olympian Marathoner Anuradha Indrajith Cooray will leave to Kenya on 25th to start his training targeting the next IAAF World Championship which will be held in two months time in Beijing.
Cooray who lives in London and works in a bakery to take care of his family, made continuous requests to all relevant authorities asking for grants for his training in Kenya, which has fallen on deaf ears. Cooray has lost hope and said he will somehow find the finances as his mother country doesn’t take care of their athletes. Cooray is one of the two in the country who has already qualified for the next Olympic Games in Rio.
The other marathoner who will represent Sri Lanka in the Olympics as well as IAAF World Championship is Geethani Rajasekera, who has already begun her training in Haputale last month, as she too has had enough of begging from authorities, as it seems the heads of those authorities don’t have brains to understand their priorities.
Meanwhile, two athletes, shuttler Niluka Karunaratne and 400m runner Chandrika Rasnayake who have been receiving 1500 USD and 1000 USD each per month as the country’s Olympic Scholars faced heavy defeats in their most recent championships.
Karunaratne was beaten in his first match in the Yonex Sunrise International Challenge Badminton Tournament held in Colombo, while Rasnayake clocked a disappointing 54.24 seconds and finished fifth in the 400m of the Asian Championship, proving that both of them are not good enough to receive such a scholarship leaving out deserving ones like Cooray and Rajasekara.