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| Monday, 23 February 2004 |
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Emerging athletes given chance to excel at SAFG by Dinesh Weerawansa Sri Lanka's emerging second string athletes have been given an opportunity to fill the vacant positions of seniors in the Sri Lanka team for 9th SAF Games named after a two-day trial meet worked off at the Sugathadasa Stadium over the weekend. The most notable absentee in the team is Asian Games triple gold medallist Damayanthi Darsha, who will miss her second major international meet due to a leg injury. Having skipped last year's IAAF World Championships in Paris, Darsha was expected to be fit for the eight-nation Games to be worked off in Islamabad, Pakistan from March 29 to April 7. But she has aggravated the same injury and has been ruled out. In the absence of Darsha, D.H.M. Priyadharshani and Menaka Wickremasinghe will run for Sri Lanka in women's 400m. Though star woman sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe was eyeing to run in this event too, she failed to qualify run in her third individual event. But she has been included in both the women's 4 x 400m and 4 x 100m relay teams. The 2000 Sydney Olympic medallist has recovered from a leg injury, which shattered her dreams at the Paris World Championships last September and will be targeting a sprint double in women's 100m and 200m. The other disappointing news was the failure of former Asian Games gold medallist Sugath Tillakaratne to qualify for his pet event. In his absence, compatriot Rohan Pradeep Kumara and A. Samarasekera will run for Sri Lanka in men's 400m. Pradeep Kumara will run in men's 200m as well, along with his 400m relay team mate Ranga Wimalawansa. Soldier Prasanna Amarasekera, of whom much was expected in recent times, painted a poor picture in missing out places in both 200m and 400m. Long distance runner K.A. Chandradasa, who established a new Sri Lanka record at the SAF Games trials, has earned a place for men's 5,000m. Asian Championship bronze medallist Sujeewa Nilmini Jayasena too improved on her Sri Lanka mark in women's 5,000m at the trial, but has not found a place in the team to Pakistan as her event has not been included in the Games proper. The third Sri Lanka record breaker at the trial meet, Chaminda Wijekoon has been picked to compete in men's 1,500m. At a time when senior players like Tillakaratne, Amarasekera and Jayasinghe (400m) failing to make it on performance, it was a creditable performance by veteran woman hurdler Sriyani Kulawansa to find a place in women's 100m hurdles for her farewell SAF Games. Having first won her SAF Games gold in Colombo in 1991, Kulawansa has gone from strength to strength during her near two-decade long athletic career. Sri Lanka athletic team for the SAF Games: MEN: 100m: R.D.S. Surendra, A.R.M.B. Ramanayake 200m: Rohan Pradeep Kumara, Ranga Wimalawansa 400m: Rohan Pradeep Kumara, A. Samarasekera 800m: D.G.S. Prasanna, J.M.S. Safran 1,500m: C. Wijekoon, R.A.C. Wijesinghe 5,000m: K. Chandradasa, A. Indrajith Cooray 3,000m Steeple chase: U.I. Bandara 110m hurdles: A.A.J. Kumara, V.G.N. Tharanga 400m hurdles: Harijana Ratnayake, A.M.P.P.S. Adhikari 4 x 100m relay: R.D.S. Surendra, A.R.M.C.B. Ramanayake, D.M.S. Dissanayake, D.M.P. Caldera, K.S. Mendis, J. Danushka Perera 4 x 400m relay: Rohan Pradeep Kumara, Prasanna Amarasekera, Rohitha Pushpakumara, Ranga Wimalawansa, J. Danushka Perera, Sugath Tillakaratne Long jump: S.M.G. Sameera, J.M.A. Kumara High jump: A.A.D.N. Priyadharshana, Manjula Kumara Wijesekera Shot put: W.L.R. Perera, T.F. Alileema Discus throw: T.F. Alileema Javelin throw: A.P.E. Nishantha Marathon: A. Indrajith Cooray, Ajith Bandara WOMEN: 100m: Susanthika Jayasinghe, Jani Chathurangani Silva 200m: Susanthika Jayasinghe, S.P.S. Buddhika 400m: M.D. Wickremasinghe, D.H.M. Priyadarshani 800m: D.H.M. Priyadharshani, P.W. Chandrani 1,500m: P.W. Chandrani, S.N. de Silva 100m hurdles: Sriyani Kulawansa Fonseka 4 x 100m relay: Susanthika Jayasinghe, Jani Chathurangani Silva, H.P.S. Buddhika, Achala Dias, G.D.P. Priyadharshani, Sriyani Kulawansa Fonseka 4 x 400m relay: Menaka D. Wickremasinghe, D.H.A. Priyadharshani, K.L.L. Gunawardena, S.V.A. Kusumawathi, L.S. Irangani, Susanthika Jayasinghe Long jump: Achala Dias High jump: Priyangika Maduwanthi Shot put: M.N.D. Muthunayake Discus throw: Padma Nandani Wijesundara Javelin throw: Anne Maheshi Silva, B.L. Radhika Lakmali Officials: Brig. Parry Liyanage (Manager), Sudath Madugalle (Asst. Manager), Lakshman de Alwis (National coach), Dervin Perera (coach), Badra Gunawardena (coach), Sarath Galagoda (coach), Norbert Perera (coach), A. Jayasekera (coach), Dhammika Nandakumara (coach). |
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