23rd National Youth Sports Festival:

Ratnapura District emerge overall champions

YASARATNE GAMAGE

Ratnapura District emerged overall champions by collecting 116.5 points in the 23rd National Youth Sports Festival, while Kurunegala District (83 points) became the runner-up. Urban Youth and Gampaha District shared the third place with 80 points each on the final day at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Sports Complex (MRISC ) yesterday.

L P S Nilanga of Urban Youth emerged men's best athlete and airwoman W K L A Nimali of Hambantota was adjudged women's best athlete. The boys' best athlete trophy was awarded to M Dissanayake of Urban Youth and it was Kegalle district which collected the award for girls' category when S R J P Senanayake carried away the best girl athlete trophy.

Athletes from all districts were seen competing with great strength, endurance and as a result 25 new meet records were established which is a significant increase when compared to last year's 15 new meet records in Nawalapitiya.

K D T Viraj of Kurunegala district established the first record of the third and final day by reaching the finish line in the boys' 10,000 metres race walk in 53:35.30 minutes to erase the last year record of M D Saman from Matara district.

H P D H Maduwanthi held the record of the meet in girls javelin throw for four years until Ratnapura , H T H Karunaratne threw a distance of 40.01 metres. Upcoming schoolgirl athlete in 2010 Nadeeshani Henderson proved further that it was the right judgment when she bettered L D N G Jayatilleke's 2008 record in 400 metres by nearly a second.

The first meet record for Polonnaruwa was established when M P T M Manawa sprinted the boys' 400 metres to wipe away the previous one of K I Nimantha de Zoysa.

National sports gold medalist W A T Sampath of Galle recorded a distance of 14.50 metres in the men's shot putt to register a new meet record. The Chief Guest at the closing ceremony ,Foreign Employment Promotions and Welfare Minister Dilan Perera gave away the awards.