Shantha comes to track for 400m today
Sarath PREMATILAKE from Beijing
Sri Lanka’s Shantha Kumara will come out for his second event of the
13th Paralympic Games when he competes in the 400 metres event on the
fifth day of the championship in Beijing, China today.
Shantha Kumara earlier failed to reach the second round of the 200
metres event and is also scheduled to participate in the 800 metres
event.
Shantha Kumara won the gold medal at the 2006 Fespic Games in Busan,
South Korea will compete in the first semifinal of the event with the
final scheduled on the same day. He clocked 23.86 seconds in the 200
metres event.
Meanwhile Mexico’s Amalia Perez lifted 128 kilograms in the Women’s
Powerlifting 52 kilogram final to win the gold medal and set a new
Paralympic record at the BUAA Gymnasium.
Perez effortlessly smashed the 127.5kg record set by Russia’s Tamara
Podpalnaya at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games. In an attempt to smash
her own record, she made a no-lift at 131kg.
Perez has gone one better at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games after
winning a silver medal in Athens and Sydney. She won a gold medal at the
2007 Regional Games in Brazil, at the 2006 World Championships and the
2005 Regional Games in Egypt.
She also won the silver medal at the 2002 World Championships.
Podpalnaya was not to be ruled out though. Performing the bench press
without straps, she lifted a clean 117.5kg and 125kg but failed to match
Perez, making a no-lift at 127.5kg, and won the silver medal.
Thailand’s Samkhoun Anon won the bronze medal with clean lifts of
92.5kg and 95kg, but made a no-lift in her third attempt at 100kg.
The Powerlifting events continue Wednesday afternoon with the Women’s
56kg and the Men’s 52kg category.
Beijing, Wednesday |
