Sugath's fate hinges on fitness test for Mudunegedara

Chinthana WASALA

ATHLETICS: Former Asian Games gold medallist Sugath Tillakaratne's fate at the 10th South Asian Games will be decided today when the national governing body conducts a fitness rest for sprinter M.U. Mudunegedara.

Mudunegedara, who finished second to Rohan Pradeep Kumara at the 2006 Sri Lanka National Championship, has been nursing an injury. President of the AASL Dervin Perera said yesterday that they would finalise the relay teams today.

"We will have a fitness test for Mudunegedara on Monday and after that only we would decide our teams," he said. According to Perera, Tillakaratne will not find a place in the final four-member team for the men's 4 x 400m if Mudunegedara passes the fitness test.

Tillakaratne, the men's 400m gold medallist at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games and 1999 Asian Championships in Fukuoka, first lost his place in his pet event after finishing fourth at this year's Sri Lanka national championship, which served as the final trial to pick the Sri Lanka team for the eight-nation Games.

He then lost his place in the relay team after Prasanna Amarasekera, who skipped the nationals due to an injury, ran a separate trial and qualified.

If Mudunegedara fails today's fitness test, Tillakaratne will join Rohan Pradeep, Amarasekera and Rohitha Pushpakumara in forming Sri Lanka's 400m relay quartet. Perera said the 74-member Sri Lanka athletic team, captained by Olympic medallist Susanthika Jayasinghe, is in good shape and the athletes are under residential training at Torrington grounds and Sugathadasa Stadium.

He said the track and field events of the SA Games would commence on August 24 and the marathon is scheduled for August 27.

Perera said Sri Lanka has a new medal hope in the men's 1500m event and that they are targeting 15 gold medals.