Shehan and Chandrika clinch gold medals in Pune

Sunil Abeywardene

Sri Lanka’s Shehan Ambepitiya and Chandrika Subashini Ratnayake won gold medals in their respective events in the first leg of the 2010 Asian Grand Prix series being worked off in Shri Siv Chakrapathi Sports Complex, Pune, India yesterday.

Three hundred athletes from twenty two countries are taking part in the Grand Prix series which is being conducted by the Asian Athletics Federation in which Sri Lanka is represented by three athletes.

Shehan Ambepitiya clocked 10.43 in the men’s 100 metres event winning the gold medal, while Chandrika Subashini Ratnayake won the women’s 400 metres event with a timing of 54.27 secs to bag the gold medal.

The other competitor from Sri Lanka Kasun Seneviratne clocked 49.22 secs in the men’s 400 metres event to finish in sixth position.

In the men’s 100 metres event Oman’s Bavathan Akthar (10.47 secs) and China’s Zhang Sheming (10.49 secs) finished second and third respectively.

In the women’s 400 metres event Papua New Guinea’s Salomi Dale (55.09 secs) and Thailand’s Thrivan Yong (56.21 secs) ended up in second and third positions respectively.

The second leg of the Grand Prix series will be worked off in Bangalore on June 5 (Saturday).