Susanthika Jayasinghe winning the 200m in Colombo (© Weerawansa)
Prasanna S. Amarasekara and Susanthika Jayasinghe were adjudged the most outstanding male and female athletes respectively at the 32nd Sri Lanka National Sports Festival track and field championship which concluded at Sugathadasa Stadium on Sunday (24).
The three day premier event of Sri Lanka’s domestic sports calendar, served as the final trial to pick the Sri Lanka athletic team for the 15th Asian Games to be held in Doha, Qatar in December.
Jayasinghe, the 2000 Olympic women’s 200m bronze medallist, who returned after an injury plagued 2005 to take a sprint double (11.33 / 22.99) at last month’s South Asian Games, continued her winning streak in the 200m at the nationals. Running in lane five, she went out strong and won in comfort in 23:46. Jayasinghe had no opposition at all. Her nearest opponent was Sujani Buddhika of Southern Province (24:37).
In the men’s 200m, Prasanna S. Amarasekara, the 2005 Asian Championship 400m silver medallist, here representing Uva Province also had a good win in a time of 21:64, and like Jayasinghe was well ahead of the field. S. Ramanayake took second position (22:54).
Amarasekara, 25, has personal bests of 20.80 (200m - 2004) and 45.47 (400m – 2005), and was the lead-off runner in Asia’s 4x400m team at the recent IAAF World Cup in Athletics, Athens, Greece.
A total of eight Games records and one Sri Lanka record were established during the three-day track and field competition.
Dinesh Weerawansa for the IAAF