Lankan relay teams try last luck

Dinesh WEERAWANSA reporting from China

Sri Lanka will try its medal fortunes in their last two events when they compete in women’s 4 x 100m and men’s 4 x 400m relays on the penultimate day of the 16th Asian Games at the Aoti Main Stadium here on Friday. Of the two relay teams, the men’s 4 x 400m team, anchored by experienced Prasanna Sampath Amarasekera, has a better chance of a medal. Sri Lanka has regularly fared well in this event, ever since they bagged the gold medal at the 1974 Teheran Asian Games.

But it will be an uphill task for Sri Lanka as they do not have the services of top caliber athletes such as Sugath Tillakaratne or Rohan Pradeep Kumara who have dominated in 400m events in recent times. Nevertheless, Amarasekera, who has been a medalist at last two Asian Games in Busan 2002 and Doha 2006, is determined to win his third successive medal.

“It is going to be a hard race. But we will make every effort to win a medal for our country,” said on the eve of his farewell Asian Games. Sri Lanka team, comprising Amarasekera, Rohitha Pushpakumara, Kasun Kalhara and Gayan Wickremesinghe, will run in lane seven, flanked by Japan and Thailand. Of the seven finalists, Japan has the season’s fastest timing of three minutes and 04.13 seconds.

Sri Lanka’s women’s 100m relay quartet of Chandrika Subashini, Jani Chathurangani Silva, Sujani Buddhika and Niranjani Abeywickrema, will face a tough time in Friday’s race. They have been drawn in a disadvantageous lane eight. Of the eight finalists, Thailand has the best season’s performance of 44.05 seconds. But they are bound to face a tough challenge from China and Japan in the battle for the gold.

Japan’s Chisato Fukushima, the fastest woman at the 16th Asian Games here, completed a grand sprint double by annexing the women’s 200m title under her belt. She ran another great race under lights in today’s final to clock a wind-assisted 23.62 seconds. China’s Thi Huong Vu (23.74) and 34-year-old veteran Uzbekistani sprinter Guzel Khubbieva (23.87) won the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Following Damayanthi Darsha and Susanthika Jayasinghe’s domination in this event from 1994 to 2006, Sri Lanka was once again involved in the event, this time in official capacity. It was Sri Lanka’s dynamic Chef-de-Mission and Secretary of AASL Prema Pinnawale who had the rare honour of presenting the medals as the chief guest in women’s 200m medal ceremony.

Sri Lanka’s Nadeeka Lakmali was placed eighth out of ten competitors in women’s javelin throw final with a clearance of 50.68m. The gold medal of this event was won by Japan’s Yuki Ibihara who had a personal best throw of 61.56m.

India made a clean sweep in both the men’s and women’s 400m hurdles finals with a golden double. Ashwini Chindanada Akkunji clocked a personal best 56.15 seconds in women’s 400m hurdles final while hear team mate Abraham Joseph too had a season’s best 49.96 seconds to take the gold.

The other gold medalists in today’s athletic events were China’s Tiangfeng Si (three hours, 47 mts and 04 seconds in men’s 50km race walking), South Korean Yeon Kyung Lee (13.23 seconds in women’s 100m hurdles), Kazakhstan’s Margarita Matsko (two mts, 00.29 seconds in women’s 800m), Iranian Sajid Moradi (1:45.45 in women’s 800m), Kazakhstan’s Olga Rypakova (14.78m in women’s triple jump), Qatar’s Femi Seun Ogunode (a personal beat 20.43 sec in men’s 200m) and South Korean Kun Woo Kim (856 points in men’s decathlon).

In Karate, Sri Lanka’s Edward Rayappan lost his men’s 67kg pre-quarter final match to Qatar’s Abdulaziz Dalloul 0-2.

South Korea qualified to play China in Friday’s men’s basketball final after their close semi final wins today. South Korea edged out Japan 55-51 and China beat Iran 68-65 in today’s semi finals. Japan will meet Iran in the play off for the bronze medal.

South Korea made it to Friday’s baseball final too, beating the hosts China in today’s semi finals. Taiwan, which beat Japan in today’s second semi final, will take on South Korea in tomorrow’s final. GUNANZHOU, Thursday.

Lankans in action today

Cricket – Sri Lanka v. Pakistan third place play-off for bronze medal at Guanggong Cricket Stadium.

Athletics – Sri Lanka men’s team in 4 x 400m relay and Sri Lanka women’s team in 4 x 100m relay at Aoti Main Stadium.