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| Tuesday, 6 April 2004 |
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Lankan athletes win 4 more gold medals by Dinesh Weerawansa Sri Lanka won four more athletic gold medals on the fourth day of the athletic competition at the 9th South Asian Games at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad yesterday. The gold medallists produced by Sri Lanka were Rohan Pradeep Kumara (men's 400m), Upendra Bandara (men's 3,000m steeplechase), Manjula Kumara Wijesekera (men's high jump) and Jani Chathurangani Silva (women's 100m). Sri Lanka athletic captain Pradeep Kumara completed a sprint double. Having won men's 200m final in 20.99 seconds two days ago, Kumara today won his pet event of men's 400m in 45.89 seconds. His team mate Prasanna Amarasekera accounted for the silver medal with a timing of 45.93 seconds. Manjula Kumara Wijesekera improved on his Sri Lanka national mark of 2.18 m to win men's high jump gold medal. Today, he cleared 2.20m to finish first while his team mate Nalin Priyadharshana took the silver after finishing second with 2.11m. The third Lankan male athlete to win a gold medal today was Upendra Bandara. He clocked eight minutes and 57.04 seconds to take the men's 3,000m steeple chase gold medal. In the absence of Sri Lanka's ace woman sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe, her team mate Jani Chathurangani Silva won women's 100m gold medal. She returned a timing of 11.81 seconds to finish first. India continues to head the 9th South Asian Games athletic competition medals table with 11 gold, 10 silver and 9 bronze medals. In the latest athletics medal standings, Sri Lanka is placed second with nine gold medals, six silver and three bronze. Pakistan takes the third spot with three gold medals, four silver and nine bronze. India also heads the overall medals standings with a rich haul of 84 gold medals, 43 silver and 22 bronze medals a short-while ago. Third-placed Sri Lanka, behind Pakistan, has so far won 12 gold medals, 26 silver and 45 bronze. Pakistan is second with 27 gold, 44 silver and 41 bronze. Priyangika Maduwanthi won women's high jump bronze medal for Sri Lanka, Maduwanthi cleared a height of 1.69m to secure the third place. The gold medal was won by Samgeetha Mohan of India with 1.81m while the silver was won by her team mate Sahana Kumari (1.75). Fiften-year-old Chathuri Abeykoon of Sri Lanka accounted for the silver medal in women's 100m freestyle final at the swimming continued at the Pakistan Sports Complex swimming pool yesterday. Abeykoon clocked one minute and 05.05 seconds, behind the Indian gold medallist Reshma Millet who returned a timing of 1:02.54. The bronze medal was won by Pakistan's Krishan Zamal Khan in 1:06.60. Sri Lanka's Menaka de Silva finished fifth in 1:07.72. Sri Lanka sprinters Umayanga Surendra (10.56) and Chammika Ratnayake (10.74) won their respective men's 100m heats last morning but failed to secure any medals in the men's 100m final. Surendra did not take part due to an injury while Ratnayake finished fourth in the final with a timing of 10.77 seconds. Piyash Kumara of India emerged as the fastest man in South Asia, returning a timing of 10.44 seconds to take the gold medal while the silver went to his team mate A. Vilesh (10.62). Pakistan's Muhammed Shahbaz on the bronze in 10.67. Three Sri Lankans won their respective preliminary round matches of the 9th South Asian Games taekwondo championship yesterday. Ranil Tharaka out-pointed Indian Prakash in their middle weight qualifier 6-3 while Gayan Kumara beat M. Ahamed, also on points 5-2 in their welterweight tie. The third win for Sri Lanka came when P. Ranjith beat K. Dendup on points 5-1 in a heavyweight tie. But Sri Lanka lost its only women's preliminary round match when Jayalani Priyanga went down closely on points to Pakistan's Meena Irfan 7-8. |
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