WP bags President’s Trophy

38th National Sports Festival concludes:

Sajeewa JAYAKODY

Western Province once again emerged overall champions and won the coveted President’s Trophy with superior performance winning 78 gold medals at the 38th National Sports Festival which concluded yesterday at the Sugathadasa Stadium. Central Province bagged 35 golds to become second while Wayamga secured third place for their 28 gold medals.

North Western Province’s Jani Chathurangi won the Best Women’s Athlete award for her impressive performance in the 100m sprint final and Sri Lanka’s high jump record holder Manjula Kumara won the Best Men’s Athlete award.

Chathurangi became the fastest woman in this year as she finished women’s 100m in 11.78 seconds. Jani was unable to break the National Sports Festival record of Sri Lanka’s Olympic silver medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe’s 11.38 seconds set in 2000. Southern Province’s Sujani Buddhika finished second clocking 11.88.

Sri Lanka’s high jump record holder Manjula Kumara stole the lime light in the 38th edition of the national games as he set a new meet record on the second day (Saturday) leaping 2.23 metres improving his own record of 2.20 set in 2011.

It was again a dominance by Southern Province in the athletics as they grabbed both men’s and women’s championships in the track and field events. Mohamed Safran of Southern Province became the fastest man in the national games as he clocked 10.64 in the 100 metres final. Uva Province’s Chaminda Wijekoon once again bagged the gold medal in the 1500m event.

Wijekoon was unable to improve his Sri Lanka record (3:39.62sec) or the meet record (3.:44.16sec) as he clocked 3:51.11sec.

Sri Lanka’s high jump record holder A P Maduwanthi set a new meet record yesterday.

The North Western Province athlete cleared a 1.79-metre height erasing her previous best mark of 1.78 metres established in 2006. Maduwanthi’s Sri Lanka record of 1.85m set in Kochi in 2006.

Double records by Champika

It was a memorable national festival for Sri Lanka’s current best middle distance runner Champika Dilruskshi. The North Western Province athlete showing a bright future, broke the 1500m record in four minutes and 20.25 seconds.

The record was earlier held by North Western Province’s A S Samanmali in 2011. Dilrukshi had already set up the 800m meet record in 2:07.10 seconds on day one. Southern Province’s T A Abeyratne also bettered the 1500m meet record clocking 4.22.07sec.

Seven new athletic records

The 38th edition of the National Sports Festival concluded with one Sri Lanka record with seven new meet records in athletics. It was A A Karunawansa, who recorded the solitary national record in women’s Pole Vault. The Eastern Province pole vaulter leaped 3.30m on day one shattering K L Perera’s 3.20m record set in 2011. Manjula Kumara’s high jump meet record marked the men’s lonely meet record in track and field events. Apart from Champika Dilrukshi’s 800m and 1500m new national game records, T A Abeyratne of Southern Province established a meet record in women’s 5000m on Friday.

Hambantota District Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa was the chief guest and gave away the awards while Sports Minister also participated in the award ceremony.

Results of the final day

Men’s

100m: 1. S M Safran (SP) 10.64sec, 2. A Hasaranga (SP) 10.71sec, 3. L M Ashroff (EP) 10.71sec.

400m: 1. K K Seneviratne (NCP) 47.07sec, 2. A M Gunaratne (CP) 47.67sec, 3. D N Karunaratne (SGP) 47.92sec.

110m Hurdles: 1. P H Nirmal (WP) 14.67sec, 2. P S Athulathmudali (CP) 14.84sec, 3. S D Weerasinghe (SGP) 14.87sec.

5000m: 1. D L Samarajeewa (CP) 14:36.07sec, 2. A S Ratnayake (SGP) 14:50.66sec, 3. M C Chathuranga (Uva) 14:50.67sec.

1500m: 1. Chaminda Wijekoon (Uva) 3:51.11sec, 2. P H Chamal (SP) 3:53.08sec, 3. A N Kumara (CP) 3:53.38sec.

Triple Jump: 1. D K Fernando (WP) 16.05m, 2. S S Jayasinghe (SGP) 15.78m, 3. D N Thilakaratne (WP) 15.44m.

Shot Putt: 1. A T Sampath (SP) 14.56m, 2. Joy Perera (EP) 14.48m, 3. P H Battage (SP) 14.05m.

4x400m Relay: 1. WP 3:13.45sec, 2. SGP 3:14.63sec, 3. CP 3:15.22sec.

Women’s

100m: 1. Jani Chathurangi (NWP) 11.78sec, 2. Sujani Buddhika (SP) 11.88sec, 3. Ishara Sandeepani Dayananda (SGP) 12.21sec.

400m: 1. G D Sandamali (NCP) 55.57sec, 2. P Kumari (NWP) 55.60sec, 3. A D Sandakanthi (SP) 56.19sec.

100m Hurdles: 1. A H Wijesinghe (SGP) 14.08sec, 2. I S Dayananda (SGP) 14.22sec, 3. M D Priyadarshani (WP) 14.95sec.

1500m: 1. Champika Dilrukshi (NWP) 4:20.25sec, 2. T A Abeyratne (SP) 4:22.07sec, 3. N G Rajasekera (WP) 4:22.26sec.

10000m: 1. T C Hemamali (SGP) 35:54.70sec, 2. L A Bogahawatte (CP) 36:10.06sec, 3. N L Ariyadasa (SGP) 36:18.11sec.

High Jump: 1. A P Madumanthi (NWP) 1.79m, 2. N T Vinodani (SP) 1.77m, 3. S M Sooriyampola (CP) 1.67m.

4x400 Relay: 1. SP 3:46.94sec, 2. SGP 3:53.63sec, 3. CP 4:01.29sec.