Manjula performs well in US

by Dinesh Weerawansa

Sri Lanka's champion high jumper Manjula Kumara Wijesekera is going great guns with some encouraging performances for his university in the United States.

According to former Sri Lanka high jump champion Nagalingam Ethirveerasingham, who looks after the youngster, the Asian Championship gold medallist Wijesekera has cleared 2.23m for his University of Southern California at an invitational indoor meeting in New Mexico.

Ethirveerasingham said that Wijesekera had 'very close misses at 2.28m' before winning the title, ahead of second-placed undergraduate from University of California who cleared 2.20m.

Wijesekera is down to compete in more indoor meets this season to end up with the US National Collegiate indoor next month. His outdoor competitive season starts in March. Academically, he has completed one year with a Grade Point Average of "B" Plus.

Wijesekera is currently in the United States on a sports scholarship and is on a sports cum study stint.