Darsha, Prasanna the best at athletic nationals

by Dinesh Weerawansa

Hurdler S.V.A. Kusumawathi of Sri Lanka Army accounted for the solitary Sri Lanka record on the final day of the 83rd Sri Lanka National Athletic Championships concluded at Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo today.

Asian Games triple gold medallist Damayanthi Darsha (23.76 seconds in women's 200m) and Asian Championship medallist Prasanna Amarasekera (men's 400m winner) were adjudged best athletes in men's and women's categories respectively.

Competing in women's 400m hurdles final, Kusumawathi clocked 59.79 seconds to shatter a 20-year-old Sri Lanka record, the only such new mark during the three-day meet, conducted by the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka.

The talented lass from Army not only beat her career best timing of 61.24 seconds set last year, but went on better the Sri Lanka record of Selvagowry Vardhakumar (59.9)_ set in London exactly 20 years ago.

Kusumawathi said she was aiming to take the Sri Lanka record one day and that hard work and dedication has brought her up to the present position. "I am happy that I could go for my goal today. But I want to do even better and be in good shape for Asian Championships and South Asian Games.

I want to do well for Sri Lanka one day," she said after her triumph. She had a convincing lead at the women's 400m hurdles final, finishing away ahead of their closest rivals - M.A. Shamali of Sri Lanka Air Force (63.58) and M.H.N. Marabahewage of Sri Lanka Navy (64.25) who finished second and third respectively.

Kusumawathi also ran in women's 400m final to secure the third place in 55.33 seconds, behind the winner and Army team mate D.P.M.P. Wickremasinghe (53.69 seconds) and second-placed P.S.M. de Zoysa of SL Air Force (54.45).

The 400m men's hurdles final was won by experienced Harijan Ratnayake of Sri Lanka Army in 51.75 seconds. But he was not at his brilliant best and way behind his Sri Lanka record timing of 49.44 seconds set in Jakarta, 2000.

In the absence of injured Sri Lanka Olympic medallist Susanthika Jayasinghe, compatriot Jani Chathurangani de Silva (won women's 100m final with a wind-assisted 11.98 seconds. Airwomen H.P.S. Buddhika (12.00) and D.P.P. Priyadharshani (12.16) secured the second and third places respectively.

While Jani Chathurangani emerged the fastest woman at the Sri Lanka nationals, the title for the fastest man went to sailor R.D.V.A, Surendra, who clocked 10.72 seconds in running against the wind (-1.8). He survived a keenly contested tussle with undergraduate D.M.P.P. Caldera (10.79), who settled to the second place, ahead of soldier W.A.S. Ravindra Kumara (10.80).

Sri Lanka athlete Prasanna Amarasekera (SL Army), who won his pet event at the South Asian Games trials last month, lived up to expectations after his minor set backs at the recent Asian Grand Prix series where he was beaten by fellow team mate and Asian championship double gold medallist Rohan Pradeep Kumara Fernando. Amarasekera clocked 53.69 seconds to finish first, followed by Lanka Perera (54.45 - Lanka Lions) and I.M.R. Pushpakumara (SL Army - 47.06). Sri Lanka Army made a clean sweep in men's 10,000m final, as once again proved their endurance and long distance supremacy. Veteran Anuradha Indrajith Cooray returned a timing of 30 minutes and 31.90 seconds to finish slightly ahead of his fellow soldiers M. Ajanthan (31:17.80) and K.S.R. Saman Kumara (31:54.66). The soldiers not only gave a fine account of their stamina and staying power to dominate in long distance running, but also won two key middle distance events as well. J.M.S. Jayaweera (three minutes, 48.97 sec. in men's 1,500m final) and N.A. Rajasekera (4:33.06 in women's 1,500m final) won their respective finals. The first two places in women's 10,000m final was secured by airwomen - J.H.A.T.S. Jayasekera (35:41.06) and H.M.V.K. Herath (38:36.15). In the field events, K.H.K Gunatillake of Sri Lanka Navy (70.76m in men's javelin throw) and Padma Nandani Wijesundara of Track Masters SC (43.18m women's discus throw) won their respective finals with two new National Championship records. The others who won their respective field events on the final day were Ruwani Rubasinghe of Matara DAA (12.61m in women's triple jump), Manjula Kumara of Lanka Lions (2.25m in men's high jump) and H.W.S. Kumara of SL Navy (7.47m in men's long jump).